Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister did not answer any of my questions. Will he commit to the runway being operational by the first quarter of 2020? Will he confirm that the Irish Aviation Authority remains the Government's choice as the competent authority? Does it require a statutory instrument or primary legislation? Those are three very simple and basic questions.

The Minister said he met the residents - fair play. The residents have met representatives of the DAA on a number of occasions. They want an independent authority to regulate the noise. While he can correct me if I am wrong, as of today, the Minister seems unable tell the House what the competent authority is. If he can, he should share the information with us. He said he sought legal advice, mostly coming from the Office of the Attorney General. What other legal advice has he sought? Has a senior counsel been brought on board? Has the DAA or the IAA given legal advice to the Department?

The Minister said he has no intention of making any changes, but the route to get there may change. He is trying to muddy the waters. I will ask some very straight questions and I would appreciate if he could answer them. Does the IAA remain the competent authority? Does it require a statutory instrument or primary legislation? Is the Minister committed to having the second runway in operation by the first quarter of 2020? If it is not the IAA, what body does the Minister consider as the competent authority? It started off as the EPA and changed to the IAA. The Minister has led us to believe he has worked on this for more than 18 months and now his reply has left uncertainty as to whether it is the IAA.

The Minister should not give us the balderdash that we would be critical of him because it would be rushed. It is far from rushed; it is operating at a snail's pace. Even the Minister has said he is embarrassed over the pace at which it is operating. I am not looking for rushed legislation, but detailed answers on the status of this issue. The airport management needs to know and the residents need to know. It is down to the Minister to inform us.

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