Mr. Owen Keegan:

I am happy to withdraw that part of the letter if it has caused offence.

The next issue is that of criteria. I am conscious of the impact of concerts on the Dublin economy, but I draw members' attention to page 2 of my statement, which details the criteria on which these decisions are made. We are required to have regard to the documents, including the plans and particulars, submitted by the applicant, including any revision to the draft event management plan; any document, correspondence, plans and particulars submitted by statutory agencies and bodies with regard to the draft event management plan; all submissions and observations received from members of the public; whether events have previously been held on the land concerned; the information highlighted and exchanged at meetings between the local authority, statutory agencies and the applicant; and any relevant guideline or code of practice. These criteria informed the decision.

That said, we were conscious of the situation. Our decision to grant three concerts on top of the three that had already been granted, representing a significant increase on previous years, reflected a balanced view that took account of the economic interests and the legitimate concerns of residents.