Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

On the competent authority which could best provide the kind of service we are referring to in respect of noise, the reason I put in the EPA is because it currently does noise mapping. If we go onto the EPA website now, www.epa.ie, and then click into EPAMaps, it can be seen that in Tyrrelstown, which I looked up because it is a community very near me, the noise level during the day is 55 to 59 decibels. It is in that contour. The World Health Organization, WHO, recommendation is actually 45 decibels, so that is exceeding it. Hollywoodrath, the new estate that people are going to be moving into very shortly and which councillors saw fit to put on the fringe of the airport with its associated noise level, already has a noise level of 60 to 64 decibels during the day. Again, the WHO recommendation is 45 decibels. At night, Tyrrelstown's noise level is between 50 to 54 decibels when the WHO recommends a level of 40 decibels. I am giving those data because I could not have got them anywhere else except the EPA. It seems bizarre that anyone could speak at a Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport and state that the EPA could not be considered to do this while it seems well positioned to do it, with extra resources and expertise. That was the only way I could get the information to which I referred.

On the Minister stating that the EPA was consulted, this is about accountability in public life. At a meeting in October, Mr. Gallagher, who is present, stated that a few existing agencies were looked at, including the EPA, which was quickly ruled out by its line Department and the agency. He continued by stating that he supposed that was because of its inability to step up to the plate. The freedom of information request, to which the residents only got a reply yesterday, asked for all of the correspondence between the EPA and the Department outlining why the agency declined to take on the role as the competent authority for the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Bill 2018.

The reply was that no records relevant to the request had been identified and, therefore, such records did not exist. The reply referred to how information was sought on discussions with individual members of staff who may have dealt with such records and how an email was circulated to all staff asking them if they had any records or information relating to this request. The reply also referred to a search of electronic databases and records held by the agency.