Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to speak on amendments Nos. 2 to 10, inclusive. Many of them seem to involve the same matter, namely, the Commission for Aviation Regulation, CAR. The appointment of a noise regulator is in keeping with EU regulations and it is required to appoint such a noise regulator in airports over a certain size. The Minister complicated the issue and he failed to appreciate basic ground rules on the expertise required and what the remit of the noise regulator is. As we know, expertise is obviously essential. We just have to look at certain other projects that are ongoing, such as the national children's hospital, where the expertise was not there and it has proven to be essential given the overrun on cost and time and the impact it has had on the residents. Dare I say I am one of those residents who is impacted upon but I cannot really equate it with an ongoing lifetime exposure to noise for residents in the vicinity of Dublin Airport.

Dublin Airport has been directed to appoint a noise regulator and that has to be learned over time because it is obviously the first appointment but of equal importance is that it has to be independent, or seen to be so. Deputy Munster of Sinn Féin suggested that the Commission for Aviation Regulation was such a body but the Minister decided to ignore that advice and the advice of others that was put to him as well when he decided on Fingal County Council. The council has no record in the area of aviation. It is in receipt of at least 8% of its annual income from rates coming from the airport and the add-ons. It is down as 8% but we have worked out that when all the add-ons are put in it is 24%. That is an obvious conflict of interest. In those two crucial tests, namely, the independence and expertise, Fingal County Council does not meet those requirements. This is in no way a criticism of the staff of Fingal County Council. They have always done an excellent job. Rather, it is a criticism of the Minister. I expect that he might have learned from the first mistake, which was the choice of the noise regulator as the Irish Aviation Authority, but that did not work out and the Minister casually shifted focus onto Fingal County Council. I still believe it was the wrong decision and I would hope that CAR would be listed as the competent authority.