Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

First of all, there is a comprehensive European Union legislative framework in place to regulate safe drone operations that is directly applicable in Ireland. I made this point last week in the Dáil. These regulations cover both recreational and commercial use, including commercial drone delivery services. The Irish Aviation Authority, the civil aviation regulator, oversees the implementation of the European Union's drone regulations and standards.

While there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place from an aviation safety perspective, there are areas where the rapid pace of expansion of drone operations has resulted in gaps and uncertainty, and a new policy framework is being developed. Work on the drafting of the policy framework was recently finalised and it is expected to be approved and published in the coming weeks. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, expects to bring the policy framework to the Government before the end of this month. This new policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems will seek to identify and address any policy, regulatory or legislative gaps.

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