Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

If Fingal County Council is to be the competent authority we need to include in detail the various health aspects. There is a real sense from people that Fingal County Council should not be the competent authority. As we debated amendments last week about who that should be we all had a sense that Fingal County Council did not want the gig. Deputy Clare Daly alluded to a report by Jennifer Bray in yesterday's The Irish Timeswhich quotes a letter from AnnMarie Farrelly to Mr. Towey explaining that the council has "an extensive remit in both shaping and determining the strategic direction of Dublin Airport through its land-use planning and associated functions". When I spoke last week I referred to Fingal County Council and the DAA as economic partners. This letter reflects my view. It is a pity we were not in possession of this letter that the Department officials received at the time we were debating those amendments. In proposing this to Cabinet did the Minister bring this letter from Ms AnnMarie Farrelly to the attention of the Taoiseach, who is in a neighbouring constituency to the airport and whose constituents will be affected by all of these issues? Did he bring it to the attention of other Cabinet members? Were they aware of this letter which says, to quote the headline on the article "Council warned Government it could not be noise regulator for Dublin Airport runway". I would be amazed if the Taoiseach and Cabinet would sign off on this if they had this information.

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