Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I will sing again if I am asked. I hope the Deputies will not tell Deputy Finian McGrath that I said that.

Deputies spoke about the response of local authorities to problems of this nature. South Dublin County Council acts in as responsible a manner as possible when this issue arises. When I contacted the council today, I was told that it receives many complaints about noise. The council processes such complaints on a regular basis. It is important that we understand an issue that is raised by the Bill, which is that we should have recourse to the law and local authorities only in cases of noise that is causing a real problem. That is why I mentioned the need for neighbours to interact ethically. We should try to put in place circumstances in which the problems which arise are solved in a straightforward manner. If such problems cannot be solved easily, they should be dealt with by the relevant local authority or by the law. I look forward to supporting this Bill. I thank the Acting Chairman for his courtesy.

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