Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister needs to listen to what the residents of Fingal are saying. If he works with the Opposition, we will respond positively. Labour will not oppose the Bill on Second Stage, but if the Minister does not seek to amend it in Committee we will table our own amendments. We will table amendments anyway. However, we will oppose the Bill later if it is not amended.

The Opposition has the numbers to change this if we work together, as hopefully we will. It seems that all Opposition Members who have spoken so far agree that Fingal County Council should not be the competent authority. I hope all parties that have indicated they do not find Fingal County Council acceptable to be the competent authority will stick to their guns and see this through. I hope that the recently extended confidence and supply arrangement does not get in the way of all the Opposition getting together on this. Fianna Fáil will be key as it has the numbers. I presume it will come under pressure to abstain or do something other than to vote with the Opposition. I hope not; we will see what happens. Fianna Fáil Members have decisions to make.

While the Bill is very technical, it will have a real impact on people living in the environs of the Dublin Airport. There is a solution here and the Minister should take it and deliver it. It will strengthen the Bill. I argued at length last night that the independence is not there with what he intends to do with Fingal County Council. This will go some way towards delivering what the communities in the vicinity of the airport deserve.

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