Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 138:

In page 41, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: Noise Insulation Scheme

“20. (1) The airport authority shall—

(a) expand the existent noise insulation scheme to all homes affected by any and all flight paths into the airport, including those created by any future developments at the airport, and

(b) consult local community groups and elected members fully on the design and implementation of the aforementioned noise insulation scheme.

(2) The competent authority shall be responsible for evaluating the design and implementation of the airport authority’s noise insulation scheme, with a view to ensuring maximum benefit for local residents. This evaluation shall be prepared and

published periodically. The competent authority must publish an evaluation immediately following the design of a new noise insulation scheme, and no later than 1 year following the commencement of the new scheme. This evaluation shall

consider—

(a) the efficacy and suitability of the noise insulation measures proposed by the noise

insulation scheme,

(b) the ease with which residents can access the noise insulation scheme, and

(c) the experience by local residents of the noise regulation scheme.

(3) The competent authority shall provide an appeals mechanism to local residents who raise complaints or concerns regarding the noise insulation scheme.”.

This amendment will effectively give the airport noise authority the role of overseeing the noise insulation scheme. The Minister will know from meeting residents that the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, currently controls who is included in or excluded from noise insulation schemes and how expansive such schemes are.

I met the Minister's officials earlier today and it was a very useful meeting. The early part of the definition in No. 20(1)(a) is to: "expand the existent noise insulation scheme to all homes affected by any and all flight paths into the airport, including those created by any future developments at the airport". I know that we may have to look at improving on that definition and I say that on the basis that if the odd plane was flying over Rathmines on the way in or something such as that, it is not my intention to have that included, my intention is to look at the communities that are directly affected by the existing runway and those that would be affected by the second parallel runway when that is built because I have had lengthy discussions with the DAA about the need to expand that. This amendment, therefore, would provide under section 2 of the amendment that: "The competent authority shall be responsible for evaluating the design and implementation of the airport authority’s noise insulation scheme, with a view to ensuring maximum benefit for local residents." It is about the balanced approach and it is about looking for an evaluation of the existing scheme that is there but the competent authority would decide on what areas should or should not be included.

This amendment strengthens the Bill and I look towards the independence of the new noise regulator as well because it will remove the full responsibility for making a decision from the DAA. It will not be just the DAA deciding who is in or who is out. When we have an airport noise authority, that makes a lot of sense and there should be an appeals mechanism for local residents to raise complaints on the noise insulation scheme. The noise regulator would effectively become the independent arbiter, which makes sense. That is what we want it to do and I am asking it to take over the responsibility for deciding the extent of the noise insulation scheme. We can work on more of the detail of that on Report Stage. There is a bit of an imperfection, unintended as it might be, in No. 20(1)(a) and I agree that we need to tweak that. I do not want the whole east coast taken into the scheme because then we will not have the resources to deal with the areas that are most affected.