Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Okay. This is my final question because we are well over time now. A residents' group from the St. Margaret's, The Ward came in here to meet the committee. The meeting was held in private session; that was the legal advice on it. It was a tad unfair given that the content of the meeting was top quality. It was a really great presentation. The members who were present, particularly those who are not as familiar locally with the issues and would not be at the public meetings or have seen it, were very impressed, including the permanent Chair of the committee. This group has been doing Trojan work in representing large swathes of Fingal, either through the banner of St. Margaret's, The Ward residents' association or through Forum - Fingal Organised Residents United Movement. Would Mr. Jacobs meet with them? I am not trying to go back over the liaison group and all that. I am not interested in that. Can he commit to meeting a delegation of them? They have a public meeting on 5 December. I can imagine what Mr. Jacobs's answer would be if I asked him to go to that. Could he arrange to have an engagement with them? They are a serious group. It will not be an easy meeting, and nor should it be given everything we are going through and what the communities are going through. There will probably always be a natural tension between an airport and the surrounding community but it is really bad considering what has been going on with the runway, flights, insulation schemes and everything we have spoken about at multiple committee meetings. It is a huge void in relations within the community of Fingal that the DAA is not engaging with this group specifically on the terms and on a one-on-one basis. Mr. Jacobs should please not refer to the Hallowe'en stuff and all those events. It is specifically about this group.