Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is a serious situation. The Minister basically said he does not have a clue about the allegations in regard to the DAA or what the impact of those is going to be. That is not very comforting because what we have got a clue about, and what we know very clearly, is the health impact of exposure to noise, particularly exposure to noise at night-time. It was in deference to that, albeit at a period of time when we did not even understand as much about this, that these restrictions were put in to curtail night traffic. The Minister's opposition to my amendments was that we cannot tie the hands of the authority and it has to have the right to review things that have happened before now. However, it does have the right to review things that happened before now and that is inherent in the Bill. There are two methods whereby people can be brought before this organisation, one being new planning permissions and the other the impact of noise under the existing day-to-day life of the airport, which is already provided for. Something which was given at the time of the planning permission may not arise initially but then kicks in once the airport becomes operational, and the Bill covers that anyway.

We are not tying the hands of the authority in anything other than diminishing the protection of residents. The clauses that are there now are there. There is nothing to stop the competent authority from improving that situation by removing the two clauses that I want to remove in these amendments. It can still seek to improve the measures. All we are doing is stopping it from diminishing them. If it wants to outlaw more aircraft at night, that is brilliant, and it can do that. If it wants to put in more restricted conditions at night, it can do that. However, what it cannot do is make the protection less, which is incredibly important because it is already the case that noise insulation has to go well beyond the remit of this Bill. We have already provided for that in the legislation so the Minister's argument is irrelevant in that sense.

We have discussed this for a long time and it is getting late. However, it is a very clear issue as far as I am concerned. I will be pressing the amendments.

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