Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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We have to begin by saying that we all agree drones have massive potential for good in society such as for emergency relief mapping and delivering medicines to isolated areas etc. The focus of this Topical Issue is the fast-food drones that have been operating in Dublin 15 in particular. Manna, which operates these drones to deliver fast food, has been doing so for about a year and a half. It is unlicensed, obviously, but it has three bases without planning permission. No consultation was ever held with the community before introducing this very invasive technology over the community. The recent policy framework process that the Department conducted acknowledges that societal concerns must be addressed. It also acknowledges that there must be approval of local authorities. The Dublin 15 service is in breach of both of those stipulations and in my opinion and that of residents, it should cease until there is regulation, community assent and it complies with all of those things. Complaints have been escalating. The impact is overwhelmingly negative given the few who use it for convenience foods such as ice cream and coffee. No environmental impact is required for its impact on wildlife. The privacy protections that Manna claims it has have been found to be completely not the case. It claims they only use cameras for the delivery drop that do not impact other residents. That is not true. We have evidence of that. However, the community is fighting back. A huge meeting took place in Dundrum over the summer, where this is also to be introduced, and Manna and the people who were talking about tech inevitability got their lesson there. In Dublin 15, there is now Drone Action Dublin 15, which is bringing residents together to organise a town hall meeting on Monday, 6 October and to inform and give the residents voice on this issue for a change.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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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.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank both Deputies for raising this important matter.

I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Transport. From an aviation safety perspective the regulation of the recreational and commercial use of drones, which are also known technically as unmanned aircraft systems, UAS, is provided for under the European Union regulations that are directly applicable in Ireland. Two drone-specific EU regulations ensure drone operations across Europe are safe and secure. The two regulations are the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 and the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947. These set out common rules for the regulation of drones and drone operators including training, licensing and registration. Regulation 2019/947 sets operational rules that apply to both professional drone operators and those flying drones for leisure. Regulation 2019/945 sets the common EU-wide technical requirements for drones and the features and capabilities that drones must have in order to be flown safely. This regulation also seeks to foster investment and innovation in this sector through a harmonised framework across the European Union.

The aim of the EU drone regulations is to achieve the same level of safety for drone operations as in manned aviation. The Irish Aviation Authority, the civil aviation regulator, oversees the implementation of the EU drone regulations and standards. The drone regulations are operation-centric and focus on the risk of drone operations, so regulation is lighter on low-risk operations and more demanding on higher-risk operations. Drone delivery operations are closely regulated from an aviation safety perspective. These types of commercial drone operations may fall into the medium-risk "specific" category which may require specific authorisation by the Irish Aviation Authority. This type of authorisation is recognised in all EU member states. To obtain an operational authorisation an operator must provide a comprehensive safety portfolio, which includes assessing and addressing both ground and air risks with appropriate mitigations. These might include, for example, co-ordination with air traffic control and fitting the drone with a parachute and flight termination system.

At a national level S.I. No. 24 of 2023, the Irish Aviation Authority (Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones)) Order 2023 came into force on 2 February 2023 and replaced an earlier drones order. It sets out the investigative and enforcement powers of the Irish Aviation Authority and provides for arrangements between An Garda Síochána and the IAA in relation to enforcement of EU drone regulations. It also includes a section on privacy rights, which draws the attention of drone operators to the preparation of a data protection impact assessment, where required, in accordance with the EU general data protection regulation.

In addition to complying with EU drone regulations, drone operators must comply with national laws including environmental, planning and privacy laws. While there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place from an aviation safety perspective, there are areas where the rapid pace of expansion of UAS operations has resulted in gaps and uncertainty. The Government, which was aware that the impact of a growing UAS sector needed further consideration, included in the programme for Government a commitment to guide high-level strategic planning and development of the UAS sector in Ireland. The recent publication of the policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems is the first step in fulfilling that commitment. The policy framework aims to guide high-level strategic planning and development of the UAS sector in Ireland through supporting growth and innovation, while ensuring safe and secure operations and managing environmental and other concerns. The policy framework proposes a number of structures and actions that aim to address concerns in relation to increasing UAS usage and operations in balance with the realisation of the economic and societal benefits of the emerging UAS sector. Planning for the implementation of the policy framework is under way at the Department of Transport.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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The Minister of State's reply fails to grasp the point. The framework says that the Irish Aviation Authority oversees the implementation of the EU drone regulations, but it does not monitor noise. It said this at the Joint Committee on Transport. There is nobody monitoring what is the biggest single problem of these drones, which is noise. The Minster of State has said that drone delivery operations are closely regulated for aviation safety. There is loads of evidence that these drones are flying in winds beyond what they are meant to fly in. There are a lot of safety concerns around that.

The community has never had its say on this. This technology mainly impacts people who cannot even enjoy their back gardens any longer or cannot even sit outside and read a book because of this constant drone noise. This is a real incursion into people's mental health.

Manna Air Delivery is portrayed as a plucky startup. I put it to the Minister of State that it is not. It is a €60 million venture and Coca-Cola is behind it. People are entitled to have basic privacy, noise reduction and a say in this. They will have a say.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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We have never had a conversation about how much of the traffic that currently is on our roads we want to move up into the sky because that is literally what is happening in Dublin 15 right now. Thousands of journeys that took place on our roads are now going over our roofs and going over our gardens. This represents a massive societal change. A change like that has to be done through a rules-based system. It cannot be done as an experiment as is actually proposed in the framework document the Government has put out. It requires a framework of rules. It requires public buy-in.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for coming in today. I know this is not the Minister of State's Department. What he has read out to me is almost identical to what the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, read to me in February, other than acknowledging that the framework is now published. It is published but it is not in any way adequate. I am going to continue to work to make sure we get that regulatory structure in place so there are rules around how commercial drones are used in our country.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that the rapid pace of expansion of UAS operations has resulted in challenges and generated real concerns and uncertainty among communities, particularly around issues of noise, intrusion and privacy. The recently published policy framework seeks to identify and address any policy, regulatory or legislative gaps. It aims to facilitate consideration of how matters such as planning and environmental issues will be addressed by the appropriate authorities, including in the context of the expansion of commercial drone delivery services. Implementation of the policy framework relies on cross-government structures and the continuation of engagement and support from various Departments, agencies, the UAS sector, and of course the public. It will facilitate the addressing of matters such as planning and environmental issues, including noise nuisance, by the appropriate authorities.

The framework proposes a number of structures and actions that address concerns in relation to increased UAS usage and operations. It proposes 16 actions under three main areas: the use of airspace and planning; compliance and enforcement; and enterprise and innovations. The actions in the policy framework include the establishment of a national working group on UAS geographical zones to develop transparent processes and procedures for the designation of UAS geographical zones; the safe management of the integration of UAS into our airspace and the impact on society and the environment; the establishment of a national U-space steering group to develop an action plan for the implementation of U-space; the establishment of a UAS enterprise and innovation leadership group to foster the development of a robust ongoing policy on innovation and commercialisation; and the introduction of fixed charge offences for infringement of UAS regulations to augment the extensive enforcement provisions in aviation, civil and criminal law already on the Statute Book. All of that planning for the implementation of the framework policy is under way.