Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

In February of this year, at my request, the first debate on drones in this Dáil was held. In that debate I made the point that I am not against drones. The vast majority people are not against drones. They do play an important role in society but commercial drone activity must be regulated. It must be regulated on issues to do with noise pollution and privacy. These drones have cameras. There are also issues to do with the planning status of drone bases and issues to do with safety. At the time, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, told me that these issues would be addressed in National Policy Framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. That national policy framework was launched - I would call it a soft launch - in August. It was quietly put out there. I can understand why it was a soft launch because on each of those four grounds the policy framework entirely fails to deal with the issues of concern. There are no clear commitments to deal with the current regulatory gaps that exist in the system. Even the council acknowledges these gaps exist in the system. There is no timelines for when the issues that residents and Members of the Oireachtas have raised will be addressed. The document leans in to more experimental use of drones. Under action 16, it is stated that "the Irish Aviation Authority will promote processes that allow for the allocation of airspace for experimental and developing UAS operations to be established." Therefore, the scales are actually being weighed in favour of more drone activity around the country without the necessary regulations taking place. This document is not good enough. I will continue to work to ensure we have the correct rules and regulatory structures in place for the commercial drone development in this country.

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