Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I am sure the Minister passes through Dublin Airport from time to time. People routinely arrive two or three hours before their flight to go through wide-ranging and intensive security checks. However, the situation at small aerodromes seems extraordinarily lax. I understand the Weston issue first came to attention because of the Ryder Cup. Some of the Americans using the airport were shocked, given their own security profiling, at the complete absence of suitable measures.

Does the Minister have figures on how many times since the episode Customs and Excise have set up a service and examined passengers disembarking from flights in private aerodromes? There is a risk from drugs, and the Minister must also be aware of what is happening in Limerick and on the west side of Dublin. Many Members represent such areas, and the death rate among young people as a result of drugs and guns is genuinely terrifying.

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