Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 18: To ask the Minister for Transport his policy in respect of airport capacity on the east coast; the consideration which he has given to a second airport on the southside of Dublin or its hinterland; if his attention has been drawn to the serious concerns of residents in the Portmarnock area due to the implications for them of the proposed second runway at Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9673/05]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for Transport the way in which a decision will be made on the possible commissioning of a new runway at Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9741/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 56 together.

Proposals in relation to the development of Dublin Airport, including the planning and provision of runway capacity, are in the first instance a matter for the Dublin Airport Authority which has statutory responsibility to manage, operate and develop the airport and to provide such facilities and services as it considers necessary for aircraft and passengers. The airport authority has submitted a planning application to Fingal County Council for a second parallel runway which is currently being processed by the planning authority.

Dublin Airport will remain the country's main airport serving the needs not just of the travelling public in our capital city and the surrounding counties but also of the country's tourism, business and freight sectors generally. Notwithstanding the greatly welcome increase over recent years in traffic at Shannon and Cork airports, and to a lesser extent at the regional airports, Dublin Airport will remain crucial to the national economy. In this regard, passenger traffic through Dublin Airport is expected to grow from over 17 million last year to an estimated 23 million in 2009 and is forecast to increase to 30 million by around 2017.

It is also noteworthy that the national spatial strategy has acknowledged that the expansion of the level of air services from Dublin Airport to a wider range of destinations is essential in the interests of underpinning Ireland's future international competitiveness. Yesterday I met representatives of the community-based organisation, UPROAR, United Portmarnock Residents Opposing Another Runway, who have concerns in relation to the proposed second parallel runway at Dublin Airport. In essence, the residents' organisation believes that the growth of Dublin Airport should be effectively capped and that further growth in Dublin-based air traffic should be catered for by a new airport on a greenfield site or through increased utilisation of the regional airports.

I do not believe that this suggestion is either feasible or practicable. As the economy grows, our infrastructure development has to keep pace so that new bottlenecks do not emerge in the transport system. Dublin Airport has considerable scope and capacity to expand to cater for future growth in air traffic for the foreseeable future and accordingly Dublin does not need a second airport. The lands necessary for the new runway began to be acquired in the late 1960s and, as far back as 1972, the then Dublin County Council included the proposed new runway in the county development plan.

The residents' organisation also has concerns about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed second parallel runway. I understand from the Dublin Airport Authority that the environmental impact statement, EIS, which accompanied the planning application describes the existing environment and the impacts of the development are explained by reference to its possible impact on a series of environmental topics, that is, people, plants, animals, soils, water, air, landscape, etc., and on material assets including architectural, archaeological heritage and cultural heritage. The EIS also outlines the company's plans to manage and mitigate any such impacts.

The current planning process provides the appropriate forum for all interested parties, including local communities and residents, to have their views and concerns on the proposed new runway heard and taken into account by the planning authorities.