Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that Senator Reilly has deep concern for the residents of the area in which he lives and those who work at Dublin Airport. I am concerned about the 19,000 who have jobs there. I am also concerned about the future of the airport. I am trying to balance my concern for the jobs at and the commercial interests of the airport with the interests of the residents of the area. I acknowledge that I am not 100% satisfied that we have taken on board the interests of what is a relatively small group of people in St. Margaret's. However, we cannot allow commercial interests to trump people's daily lives. I have been there and listened to the noise. It is not possible for someone to stay asleep in his or her bed at 5 a.m.; he or she is wasting his or her time pretending he or she can.

There are options on the table and the Minister has put more on it. The subject of one of my concerns, for example, is those who decide they want to sell their property and move to a quieter environment. We need to ensure the valuation available to them will not be based on the property in which they are sitting but on a comparable property perhaps 20 km away valued at the same value plus 30%. To my mind, that would be fair. If I were to value a property in St. Margaret's in the morning, I would discount it by 70% or 80% on the basis that aircraft fly over it every few minutes. Things can be done.

I agree with my colleague. It is inappropriate to simply pull out amendments that have already been passed or reject amendments. Amendment No. 21 deals with the competent authority. There is suspicion about Chinese walls in Fingal County Council which is picking up €29 million in rates from Dublin Airport every year. Astronomical rates are brought in from the larger industrial area around the airport. From that point of view we cannot accept that Fingal County Council should be the competent authority to assess noise levels. I know that the Minister has been around the houses on this issue and think his back is to the wall on it. He must accept some other body as the competent authority, but can he suggest any other body that could be the competent authority? I want to try to meet him half way and do not want to impede the passage of the Bill. I know that I cannot do so because Fianna Fáil is onside. I would dearly like to know how much faith we can put in the competent authority. I am not sure we can put any in it.