Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 464: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to ensure that statutory responsibility is given to his Department, a local authority or the Irish Aviation Authority to measure noise pollution arising from the operation of an aerodrome. [40110/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the regulation of aircraft noise and for related operational matters rests with the Minister for Transport and the Irish Aviation Authority, as appropriate.

There are no statutory limits for noise emitted from airports or aerodromes, nor is there a specific statutory requirement on local authorities to monitor noise emissions from airports or aerodromes. However, section 107 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 provides local authorities with powers to require measures to be taken to prevent or limit noise from any premises, processes or works. It would be open to the relevant local authority to avail of these powers if it considered that this were necessary.

Directive 2002/49/EC on the assessment and management of environmental noise covers, inter alia, major airports with more than 50,000 take-off or landing movements per year. This will require the making of strategic noise maps by 30 June 2007 and action plans to manage noise issues and effects by 18 July 2008. The directive specifically excludes take-off or landing movements for training purposes on light aircraft. The provisions of the directive with regard to noise-mapping are already being implemented in part and progress is being achieved in this regard. Regulations to transpose the directive will, inter alia, designate a national authority, noise-mapping bodies and action planning authorities, as appropriate. The regulations are at an advanced stage of drafting and I intend to make them shortly.