Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

​I thank the Deputy for the question, which is on the same lines as many others which have come through today. There is great concern and enormous interest in the area. All Deputies in the area are feeling the anxiety and distress of the residents of the area affected by the noise of Dublin Airport and the prospects ahead. Given the differing geographical and environmental circumstances of each airport, I am not sure comparisons of the type suggested in the Deputy's question can validly be drawn. There are also considerable variations in the nature and extent of aircraft operations at different airports, which necessitate tailored mitigation responses. It differs according to each airport's different flight paths, numbers, frequencies, noise and environment.

The Environmental Noise Directive No. 49 of 2002 sets out certain requirements for the assessment and management of environmental noise from transport sources, including from major airports such as Dublin. The directive was transposed into national law by the environmental noise regulations 2006. These regulations set out a two-stage process for addressing environmental noise, through the preparation of strategic noise maps and noise action plans, the fundamental objective of which is the prevention and reduction of environmental noise. The most recent noise mapping exercise found that 200 people are exposed to undesirable night time levels above 55 dB(A) from aircraft using Dublin Airport. This amounts to some 0.02% of the total population of Dublin town and city. As compared to a  previous mapping exercise in 2007, there has been an overall reduction in the number of people exposed to undesirable night time noise levels. This is no comfort to those who are still suffering under this noise regime. It is to put it in proportion and to ensure the figures are not exaggerated to include thousands of people.

There must be continuous efforts to secure further improvements. The regime for managing airport noise is based on EU legislation dating back to 2002 where the responsibility rests primarily with the airport operator. The entry into force in June of this year of EU Regulation No. 598 of 2014 represents a shift in responsibility from the airport operator to a separate, independent statutory entity or competent authority to oversee the delivery of the new, more prescriptive approach to airport noise management. On 22 September last, I announced details of how this more prescriptive approach will be implemented in Ireland. In particular, there will be a dedicated, expert-focused competent authority to take responsibility for consideration of all airport noise issues. There also will be clarity regarding the collaborative working and public consultation arrangements that must be applied in this area.

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