Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate that the regulations speak to how drones may be flown safely, but they do not in the slightest capture how drones may be experienced safely. That is particularly pronounced in a village like Drumcondra, Ireland’s first autism-friendly village. Significant sensory issues will not be captured in the regulations for how drones may be flown safely. It is a bit of a dystopian future when even one operator at the moment causes a hum of annoyance. What happens when a second or third one starts? I do not think any of us wants to see that. I accept there will be parts of the country, such as in more remote areas, where this could probably be beneficial but this is not required in Drumcondra, Glasnevin, Dublin's inner city or Castleknock. We are asking for the solution that was offered, namely, the establishment of a temporary drone- or UAS-restricted geographical zone over the areas that are most impacted at the moment in the absence of regulation. That seems like a solution until we bring in some commonsense regulation to this issue, which I imagine will become increasingly prevalent across the Chamber.

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