Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The DAA has provided the methodology all right and the methodology says we are cooking the books. The Minister of State is telling me that the Government and a Department led by a Green Minister does not mind and says that it is nothing to do with them.

Are private jet customers included? Are they included in the figure that keeps under 32 million cap the 31.9 million figure which DAA uses after effectively cooking the books? It is not sustainable. I accept what the Minister of State said about roads, etc., but in terms of climate targets and not burning our planet, it is not sustainable to keep expanding the number of flights that are going through our country and other countries. Surely, it should be a policy goal of the Government to stop that happening. Obviously, that is not the case. The Taoiseach said he is in favour of increasing the passenger cap. Surely the Government and the Department should have a position. It seems the planning permission conditions are being flouted, effectively, by using this methodology that the Minister of State referred to which is a dubious methodology, and the Government should have a position on it.

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