Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 86 together.

The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, made under the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1946, gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland. As the Deputy will be aware, permission must be sought in advance for landings by all foreign military aircraft and, if granted, is subject to strict conditions. These include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, it must carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and it must not engage in intelligence gathering. Furthermore, the flights in question must not form part of military exercises or operations.

Tough and robust procedures are in place in my Department with a view to ensuring the conditions for securing permission for foreign military aircraft to overfly or land in the State are clearly understood and properly applied now and in the future. These procedures are kept under ongoing review. Comprehensive records on requests received and decisions made are retained for the purposes of monitoring and oversight, and are drawn on as needed, including to provide information to this House as appropriate.

As I set out in my response to Question No. 712 of 17 January, in that instance permission to land was not sought in advance from my Department. On foot of my instruction, my officials contacted the British embassy. The embassy explained that this had been an error due to a communication breakdown within their system. The embassy confirmed that the purpose of the landing was refuelling and that the flight was unarmed, carried no arms, ammunition or explosives and was not engaged in intelligence gathering, nor did it form part of any military exercise or operation. I should point out that there were 21 requests for permission for RAF aircraft to land in Ireland in 2016. In each case the correct procedures were followed.

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