Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 1407: To ask the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 495 of 29 November 2005, if the Snow report in question at paragraph 5.3 unequivocally acknowledges that at Casement Aerodrome, due to the low number of operations and the relative small size of aircraft, it may prove very difficult to defend the size and shape of the approach area on risk consideration to third parties alone such as the probability of a person being killed on the ground due to an air crash; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40241/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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As I indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 491 on 6 December 2005, red safety areas were first adopted at Casement Aerodrome following a review in 1992 by Aer Rianta, on behalf of the Department of Defence, of policy in relation to safety zones at the aerodrome and were introduced to ensure the safe and unobstructed operation of air traffic to and from Casement Aerodrome. International Civil Aviation Organisation standards and recommendations in relation to obstacle limitation surfaces for airports, designed to protect the safety of aircraft as they land and take off by ensuring that there are no obstacles in the way, as well as considerations in regard to public safety in the vicinity of the aerodrome were taken into account in determining the size and shape of the red safety areas at Casement Aerodrome. The red safety areas were not determined solely by reference to the risk considerations to third parties on the ground. The Snow report prepared in 1999 recommended in the case of Casement Aerodrome that the approach areas be retained for security and safety reasons because of the large proportion of training, including single engine-solo flights by inexperienced pilots, carried out at the aerodrome. The matter will, however, be kept under review.