Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not know whether the Deputy has taken a straw poll of the residents or has met one or two. To make the statements he did is absurd and irresponsible. I take exception to them because nobody has met more of the residents about the issue of noise than I have. Every Deputy who has asked me to meet residents' groups has been received and I have listened to what they have to say. If Deputy Troy wants to come to the House and say the residents are all against the proposal it indicates that he has been wandering the streets of Malahide and Swords over the past few days taking some sort of opinion poll.

I do not believe he knows what he is talking about. He is throwing an allegation around the House in a meaningless way which is totally unscientific and unforensic. Of course the delay was regrettable. A decision was made about the IAA, subject to legal opinion. The Deputy will be well aware that this was decided one way in the Office of the Attorney General and on reconsideration, as a result of certain European standards, and much to my regret and that of everybody else, the decision was made that the IAA was conflicted. We immediately looked for another noise regulator and have thankfully found one.

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