Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I see the logic in what is being proposed and I take the point about doing it in a proactive rather than a reactive way. There is a three year workforce plan to be presented annually to the Minister. When the commercial is separated from the non-commercial it is more dependent on the Department to provide resources. If those resources are not provided amply at the outset it is very difficult to scale up to what is needed. I would be quite concerned that we get the baseline right to begin with and that the full extent of what is required is dealt with. The commercial side takes care of itself in many ways but am I right in thinking that there is a loss of oversight because some of that would have been formerly audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General?

They are not the only ones subject to regulation and there are many smaller ones. Weston Airport, which is close to where I live, will be subject to the rules of the IAA for air separation issues, although it will not be the only one. From a planning point of view, I presume the code will continue to be determined by the IAA. When the code is changed, it can present all sorts of other unintended consequences, such as for mapping risk. Shifting the code around can affect one area to its advantage or disadvantage in respect of another. They are some practical matters that have been evident over the years. Will Mr. Gallagher comment on which body will have those functions? I presume they will remain with the IAA.

Following the recent passing of the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019, noise regulation was allocated to the planning authority, which many of us considered wholly inappropriate given the very conflicts that the Department is trying to avoid through the separation of a commercial and a regulatory aspect. It is logical and right that they are separated but it seems to have gone the other way for noise regulation. Will either of the entities have a function for noise regulation? I presume that if one of them will, it will be the IAA.

On human resources, HR, issues, we have learned from mergers or entities that have been reassigned responsibility that there can sometimes be staff on different grades. Are there HR issues we should know about and, if so, how are they being catered for? Is it different between the two organisations? I presume we must concern ourselves most with the IAA. On the expertise, will Mr. Gallagher take us through, from the workforce point of view, what expertise is available and what is required? I fully understand that where there is a customer service aspect, it needs to function properly. Equally, people might have complaints about noise, low-flying planes, and breaches of rules at airports where take-off and landings might not be strictly policed. Will there be improvements in that regard?

Which side will impose the fees and charges on aircraft operators and managers of the airports that use such aircraft?