Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's question refers to allegations made in a Channel 4 programme on aviation safety. Aviation safety is overseen by the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, a statutory body under the remit of my Department.  The IAA operates on the basis of EU regulations and is audited by both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the International Civil Aviation Organisation.  These audits ensure the IAA operates to the highest standards.

The IAA has confirmed that Ryanair, which is the airline against which the allegations were made, fully complies with all European and international regulations in all its areas of operations.  The authority has also stated that the safety record of the airline is on a par with the best in Europe and has issued a detailed rebuttal of the allegations made in the programme. Given the statutory responsibility of the IAA, it would not be appropriate for me to comment in detail on these allegations, except to say that I am satisfied they have been comprehensively addressed by the authority.  I will refer the Deputy's question to the IAA so that it can respond in more detail.

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