Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 59: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has completed the promised review of approval conditions attached to licensed aerodromes by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners following the recent drugs haul from a flight that left from Weston Executive Airport in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39250/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the review of approval conditions attached to licensed aerodromes is being dealt with as a priority. I outlined to the House on 18 October last in response to an earlier question that the review was likely to take approximately six weeks. The Revenue Commissioners now inform me the review is on target and should be completed within Revenue around the end of November.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I have raised this issue with the Minister before. The country is being swamped by drugs, particularly my constituency, which is adjacent to Weston Aerodrome. It is unfortunate that such remarkable loss of life is associated with drug crime and the easy availability of drugs. Has the Minister for Finance given any thought to what the reform might entail? He previously told us there had been 12 scheduled and six unscheduled visits to Weston Aerodrome in a year. Will he make them all unscheduled? As matters stand, the strong suggestion is that one could smuggle anything through certain of Ireland's private airports, be it drugs, guns or even human beings.

Does the Minister not feel, given the threat the country faces from drug crime, which is fuelling gun crime, that the Revenue Commissioners must act more expeditiously? For instance, have they initiated any additional visits to Weston Aerodrome since a significant drugs haul was made on a flight originating there? In the course of the Revenue's review, has it carried out any additional checks or visits to private airports around the country?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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This incident heightened sensitivity on the part of Revenue, and I am sure it has acted accordingly, although I do not have that information.

The Revenue Commissioners are conducting a review of approval conditions attached to licensed aerodromes, and they are also concentrating on risks in the operation of, and procedures at, such aerodromes. They are focusing mainly on smaller licensed aerodromes such as Weston, and those regional aerodromes where controls are currently being carried out by special compliance teams that, as part of their duties, deal with the smuggling of prohibited goods such as drugs.

All the available evidence from customs administrations worldwide indicates the most effective means of detecting drug smuggling is concentrating on the development and gathering of information and intelligence and employing targeted interventions as a consequence. As soon as we have the conclusions of the report, I am sure they can be acted on.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I am sure the Minister passes through Dublin Airport from time to time. People routinely arrive two or three hours before their flight to go through wide-ranging and intensive security checks. However, the situation at small aerodromes seems extraordinarily lax. I understand the Weston issue first came to attention because of the Ryder Cup. Some of the Americans using the airport were shocked, given their own security profiling, at the complete absence of suitable measures.

Does the Minister have figures on how many times since the episode Customs and Excise have set up a service and examined passengers disembarking from flights in private aerodromes? There is a risk from drugs, and the Minister must also be aware of what is happening in Limerick and on the west side of Dublin. Many Members represent such areas, and the death rate among young people as a result of drugs and guns is genuinely terrifying.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I agree that drugs are a menace and a serious danger to the functioning of society, and we must do all that we can. Increased resources are being deployed to deal with them, by the gardaí, Customs and Excise and everyone else. The Deputy has asked whether the promised review has been completed and if I would make a statement on the matter. That review has not yet been completed, although that will have happened by the end of November.

The supplementary information I can give is of the same nature as what I have said already, confirming what the review covers, such as procedures, what types of aerodromes it is examining, and what best practice is from a customs administration perspective, including the development of information and intelligence critical to detecting drug-smuggling. If there are any further specific questions regarding flight numbers and so on, I am sure we will find the answers.