Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely. The Deputy is being a little bit alarmist. There is one certainty. The runway will be built. What is uncertain, as the Deputy correctly said, is the exact timeframe because we are not certain that primary legislation will not be required. It is unlikely, but it is possible. If this is done by way of a statutory instrument, it will all be over by Christmas. If primary legislation is by any chance necessary, it will be done very early in the new year. Those are the certainties. The residents have this certainty, and they have comfort in that. They have a Minister who, for the first time, is sympathetic to their wishes and who is meeting them and making sure that whoever is the regulator, their needs will be considered.

The residents have something else as well. They have a new regulator whose mandate is to consider the wishes of the residents and the strain they are suffering under and to give them all sorts of remedial measures if and when they are appointed. The IAA has already been appointed but I refer to when the regulator is confirmed. That is a comfort to them. Never before has there been a State body solely dedicated to dealing with the noise levels at the airport. It is a body which has expertise in this area and which we considered very carefully before appointing. I believe the residents, who have had a very tough time for many years, should regard that as a plus and a benefit.

See this speech in context