Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The reason I ask this from the environmental lens is that the Minister's counterparts in the Netherlands and all the other aviation people we met three weeks ago told us there were other forms of restrictions. Initially, we went over believing that the centre of Dutch policy was regional balance. It turned out, however, that this was a bit of a factor but the main factor was that the Netherlands has noise emission and environmental quotas. Schiphol Airport has been deemed to be close to and often exceeding these limits. It is for this reason that the Government of the Netherlands has said that too much aviation is being funnelled through the national airport and more must go to the regions. This needs to be looked at through the environmental lens.

At COP27, the Minister made the point that there will be a need for increased levies on aviation. I find it hard to reconcile this with growth in the aviation sector, particularly as we are an island nation. The Minister's tune might change when he speaks to his European counterparts. Ireland is in need of a taxation carve-out. Long-haul flights and connecting flights are currently exempt from environmental taxes, but point-to-point short-haul travel, which is exactly what we have coming out of Ireland, is being punitively taxed by the EU. We need a reversal or some degree of recalibration of that. The comments made at COP27 will instil some fear in those who work in and depend on aviation. We are an island nation. Unlike the Netherlands, we do not have a train network to bring us into the heart of Europe. We must fly out of our country. I hope the Minister will have time to respond to this question.