Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

Section 49 of the Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Act 1998 gives powers to authorised officers, including members of the Garda Síochána, to inspect any civil aircraft where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that an individual on board is guilty of one or other of the offences referred to in section 33(1)(d) of the 1988 Air Navigation and Transport Act. These include assault of a person on an aerodrome and possession of certain dangerous articles. It is considered that the powers available under statute are adequate to tackle any unlawful activities at Irish airports and as such, it is not my intention to introduce any new legislation in this area.

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