Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree partially with my colleague. If we are talking about fairness and a balanced approach, other interested parties should have a mechanism outside the designated five-year period to raise concerns with the competent authority. On us having confidence in the independence of the competent authority and if it can determine whether a request to intervene is warranted, we know that, unfortunately, in certain instances, there are people who make spurious requests. We can look at what happened in the case of Apple where people made spurious claims and objections that held up the process. I am not saying people would do so, but the competent authority should be allowed discretion to determine whether something warrants further investigation. I support amendment No. 47 which would include a notice in writing by the airport authority or any organisation or individual impacted by airport noise, but it should be left to the discretion of the competent authority to determine whether the matter warranted further investigation