Mr. James Gavin:

I will deal with the regulatory perspective. The European regulation for the common rules and basic standards of civil aviation exists to protect persons or goods from acts of unlawful interference within civil aircraft. This regulation, Regulation (EC) No. 300/2008, was established as a result of the attacks of 11 September 2001 in the US. It is clear from the global and interconnective nature of civil aviation that it has been targeted by terrorist groups. What does the IAA do? By its nature, aviation security is a set of measures to ensure that no unauthorised persons or items go on board an aircraft or go through the secure part of an airport. It is a global requirement and that is the part that Ireland plays with regard to it. For the passengers, that means that the IAA has an oversight function on regulated entities such as airports, air carriers and air components. It is the IAA's job to ensure that no explosives are on someone such as a passenger, in a bag in the cabin, cargo hold or the cargo bay under the aircraft, in the pack of newspapers that arrive on an aircraft, or in the meal a passenger gets. From that, there is an inspection and audit cycle that takes place under this programme.