James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I could not agree more with the Deputy and I am actively engaged in trying to find a solution. I find it somewhat extraordinary that 17 years had elapsed since the 2007 cap had been imposed until last year when the DAA lodged its planning application to lift the cap. One might have thought that given an issue with such gravity that it might have been addressed earlier. We are where we are, however. There are multiple agencies in the mix. It sometimes appears that it is something of an alphabet soup with the IEA, DAA, FCC, ABP, ANCA and so on and so forth. It appears that some rationalisation and simplification may be desirable in the future because, quite frankly, as a nation we have to do planning better, faster and in a more streamlined fashion. That is a concern.

In the interim, we have to attempt to mitigate the impacts of the cap and we also need to encourage and to explore ways to perhaps exploit their consideration. That is something that I am actively involved in. Just today alone I am meeting representatives one of the regional airlines and I am also meeting groups of residents. I have met with all of the aforementioned the regulator, Dublin Airport Authority, the airlines including the American airlines, I have visited the regional airports and so on and so forth. I am actively engaged in searching for short-term solutions. The long-term solution is that the planning process does its job. It would be preferable if it could do its job in a faster and more concentrated fashion but in the short term we have to find mitigation. I am open to any side of the House that wants to propose actions which may help in that regard. I am all ears for any Deputies who wish to come forward with such suggestions.

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