Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Section 32 of the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993 places a statutory requirement on the Minister to carry out an audit on the technical and safety functions of the IAA. As originally drafted and initiated in this House, the Bill increased the reporting time from three years to five years. This increase was informed by the fact that, when the 1993 Act was enacted, the IAA was not subject to significant oversight and audit by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, EASA. That agency was established in 2002, some five years after the establishment of the IAA. While the reports required under section 32 remain an important oversight tool, much of the section's intent is now addressed by EASA oversight. It was on this basis that the interval of five years was seen as more appropriate given the changed regulatory and oversight landscape at European level. However, following engagement with Senators, I introduced an amendment to section 66 of the Bill to move the five-year period back to a three-year period. The second amendment, No. 13, removes the Minister's discretion to withhold publication of the report and requires him or her to cause a copy of the report to be published on a website of the Government.

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