Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be as brief as I can. Many of the points that must be made have been addressed already. I welcome the appointment of a regulator. It is clearly necessary. Obviously the development of Dublin Airport will provide thousands of jobs. A huge percentage of workers there live in north Dublin, near to the airport. It is important to point out that any decisions made by regulators can be appealed by local residents. We are seeking a compromise, because the airport is clearly not going anywhere. Citizens' concerns must be listened to.

My colleague asked me to clarify that there were two letters from Fingal County Council which should be on the record. I understand that Senator Norris and probably Senator Humphreys were referring to a letter dated November 2017. In October 2018, Fingal County Council issued a statement clarifying that while it had previously expressed concerns about taking on the role, it had worked with the Department and those concerns had been satisfactorily addressed. It is important to make that point.

Moreover, the health issues are clearly very subjective. Overall, the WHO recognises that the limited evidence on the health effects of environmental noise interventions is thinly spread. The constituency of my colleague, Senator Reilly, is much closer to the airport, but I have had correspondence from people living as far away as Baldoyle about the difficulties they experience, including interrupted sleep and difficulty functioning. It is important that we bear them in mind. It shows how subjective all of this is. That needs to be taken into account.

Having heard what others have said and having looked at the issue, a noise regulator is badly needed. Ideally, it would be an independent body. Perhaps that is not feasible due to the cost implications that might arise. I would like to hear from the Minister whether it could be envisaged in the future. As in any other area, independence is very important. I have always been very impressed by Fingal County Council and the professional manner in which it goes about its business, but it would be ideal for the regulator to be independent. I am very interested in the Minister's comments in this regard. I will not delay other speakers' contributions.