Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)

I fundamentally disagree with the assertions of the Minister of State on the provisions of this Bill. I thank Deputies O'Reilly, Graves, O'Rourke, Pa Daly and Toole for contributing to the debate. These Deputies do not just contribute to the debates when the lights and cameras are on. They have been at every committee and public meetings for years on this issue. There is no other issue that unites politicians in north County Dublin more than the issue of the airport and the various related matters. In the recent development plan - Deputy Graves might correct me if I am wrong - there was one motion that was supported by every single member of the council. It was 40 votes to zero in relation to aircraft noise. That included members of the Minister of State's party and every single party. There is no other issue like it. These are people who represent the airport, have employees as our constituents and understand the economic importance of the airport yet still also understand a balanced approach to noise and understand the problem. We put forward an approach in the EPA. Sinn Féin's preferred option would be the IAA, which was the CAR. Either would be a much better approach than Fingal County Council.

I advise the Minister of State never to come to a Thursday evening debate and say a Bill did not have pre-legislative scrutiny and therefore should not go any further. That is a nonsense. That option is not open to us, as Deputy O'Reilly said. The Bill we are trying to amend had pre-legislative scrutiny in 2018 and 2019. It did not convince Fianna Fáil. It may not have opposed it but did not support it either. Fianna Fáil submitted an amendment to call for a five-year review on the setting up of ANCA, which would have meant a review in 2023 or 2024. We would already have had the review if Fianna Fáil got its way. Fianna Fáil is all over the shop on this issue. The Labour Party and Sinn Féin do not want ANCA and nor does Deputy Toole seem to want it - Opposition, Opposition, and Opposition-ish - do not want it. Fingal County Council did not want it. It said on record it did not have the competencies. If you ask the DAA, it would not say it wants it either. Fianna Fáil did not want it and the Minister apparently did not want it. Who wants it? Why is it there? Is it because former Minister Shane Ross wanted it for some bizarre reason? I advise the Minister to through the debate and amendments from 2018 - his own party's amendments. It is outrageous this Bill is being opposed at this Stage and does not even have a chance to go to Committee Stage. The Government is scared of Committee Stage because it knows from its own history it is a flawed setup and should not be the way to monitor aircraft noise, with all the complex outcomes. It is a disgrace. The Government and the Minister of State are running away from a debate they know they cannot win and they know they are unsolid ground.

We as public representatives will have to continue to fight this in this Chamber, in committees and at public meetings. I acknowledge all the public representatives here, as I did at the start, for all the work they do in all the forms they have the opportunity to do it. They should have the opportunity to debate this Bill and amend it if they so wish on Committee Stage. Unfortunately, they are being denied that. We will probably bring other Bills and amendments forward where we can to improve the situation of aircraft noise and aviation in general.

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