Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I rise to support something Senator Reilly said a little while ago when he gave us some examples of decibel measures. For example, he said that leaves rustling on the ground is 20 dB. He rightly pointed out that a busy office would have a 60 dB sound level. The interesting figure for me is that a typical aircraft, at 3 miles post take-off, has a decibel rating of 90 dB. Three miles beyond the airport an aircraft flying over one's head will give a blast of 90 dB. Imagine what it is like if one lives 250 yd. or 1 mile from the runway. If it is 90 dB at 3 miles, then the noise level must be considerably higher at the point of take-off or in the area surrounding St. Margaret's. I cannot speak about anywhere else in Fingal. I can only speak about the place that I was in and I do know that the sound was horrendous.

I fully support the development of Dublin Airport. I have concerns about the noise regulator, which I have voiced several times already. I am seriously concerned about the residents on the ground and the insulation of houses to prevent noise. We cannot have people living in glass boxes. We cannot seal houses to the point where the inhabitants can never open their windows or have a barbecue in the back garden, the sorts of things that we enjoy in our own areas. We cannot force people into a situation where people are locked into a house. The alternative for people who are totally unhappy with the noise levels, which is already available, is to move from the area in what could be a very generous buy-out but I am not so sure it has the level of generosity that one would expect. My issue is as follows. Where is the benchmark to value the property if somebody has to move?Is the property to be valued by an auctioneer who is going to discount based on the fact that it is in a flight path, or is the benchmark within 20 km, far enough away to say that the sound would not impact on the value of the property? Maybe I am picking it up wrong but I think the Minister understands we are dealing with people who are several generations in the same place. All of a sudden, a commercial development has totally disrupted their lives. That goes back to something my colleague, Senator Humphreys, said about trust, engagement and being able to reassure people. Even at this late stage, if there is a small cohort of people in St. Margaret's who have not been met, they need to be met. We need to find a solution for them. The Bill is going to be rammed through tonight whether we like it or not. That is not the Minister's choice and I accept that. That is the Order of Business of the House as it was laid down today. The Minister has interest and care for his fellow human beings. If this Bill passes tonight, can we be guaranteed that the people in St. Margaret's are going to have engagement with the Minister and his officials to find a solution? I am full of foreboding that we are not going to have any impact on this Bill. I am asking for an assurance to the House that there will be engagement with those residents and that every effort will be made to resolve the issues they have. It is the human thing to do and the right thing to do. Any caring Government will want to do that. I accept that we are not going to impact this Bill tonight but I want to know we are going to deal with the residents in a fair and equitable way.