Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 261: To ask the Minister for Transport the relevant expertise and professional qualifications of his Departmental officials in the area of aviation safety management and aviation safety regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26176/09]

Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 262: To ask the Minister for Transport the training given to persons appointed to the board of the Irish Aviation Authority to enable them to exercise independently their personal and corporate responsibilities for aviation safety; his views on whether it is necessary to establish a safety committee of the board of the IAA and that the person with responsibility for the safety function should report directly to that committee in the same way as the internal auditor reports to the audit committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26177/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 261 and 262 together.

The Irish Aviation Authority was established by the Irish Aviation Authority Act, 1993. The principal functions of the Authority are the safety oversight of civil aviation activities and the provision of air navigation services in the State.

Prior to enactment of the 1993 Act, these functions were carried out by the Department of Transport and on its establishment relevant staff from the Department were transferred to the Authority. The Department did not retain any technical expertise in the areas of responsibility of the Authority. The authority is mandated under Section 14(1)(i) of the Act to advise the Government, myself as Minister for Transport or any other Minister of the Government in relation to any matter under its statutory remit either on its own initiative or at my request. In addition, Section 32 of the Act requires me periodically to commission an independent report on "the performance by the company of its functions in so far as they relate to the application and enforcement of technical and safety standards". Reports under Section 32 were commissioned and completed in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

The Directors of the Authority are appointed by me in accordance with Section 17 of the Act. The Act specifically provides in Section 38 that it is the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Authority to advise the Directors on any matter relating to or affecting the technical or safety standards specified under Section 32 or the safety of civil aviation.

Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 263: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will initiate the Section 32 safety examination of the Irish Aviation Authority without delay; if he will expand its remit to provide the opportunity for persons who had reported concerns with the 2004 examination to present them to the 2009 examination and to have these concerns examined and reported upon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26178/09]

Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 264: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will publish the report of the Section 32 Aviation Safety Audit of 2004 together with other aviation safety audits completed since 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26179/09]

Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 265: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has investigated problems, reported to his Department in 2006, with the 2004 Section 32 safety examination of the Irish Aviation Authority; if so, his conclusions on same; if not, the reason therefore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26180/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 263 to 265, inclusive, together.

The Irish Aviation Authority was established by the Irish Aviation Authority Act, 1993. The principal functions of the Authority are the safety oversight of civil aviation activities and the provision of air navigation services in the State. Section 32 of the Act requires me "to appoint a person to carry out an examination of the performance by the company of its functions in so far as they relate to the application and enforcement of technical and safety standards" at three yearly intervals.

Reports under Section 32 of the Act were completed in 1996, 2000 and 2004. The intent of Section 32 of the Act is to ensure that I, as Minister, can be satisfied that the authority is capable of carrying out the functions conferred on it by Statute and that it's performance is satisfactory. Its purpose is not to investigate or report on specific concerns or complaints or to review previous reports commissioned by me under Section 32. I am aware of concerns raised by one individual in relation to an alleged conflict of interest in relation to the conduct of the 2004 examination and I am satisfied that this was not the case. The Act requires me to submit a copy of reports under Section 32 to the Government and to the company. It is not considered to be appropriate to publish these reports.

Since the Authority was established in 1993, there have been significant developments both at European level and internationally in relation to the regulation of civil aviation. In addition to the reports commissioned by me under Section 32, the Authority is also subject to regular audits of the performance of its safety regulation functions by Eurocontrol, the European Aviation Safety Agency and the International Civil Aviation Organisation. In this regard, I am currently considering the continued relevance of the requirements of Section 32 of the Act from both a public sector efficiency and value for money perspective.

Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 266: To ask the Minister for Transport if he is satisfied that the system failures which occurred at Dublin Airport in July 2008 will not recur; the basis for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26181/09]

Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 267: To ask the Minister for Transport if he is satisfied with the report he received from the Irish Aviation Authority on the systems failures at Dublin Airport in July 2008, in view of the fact that, inter alia, it does not appear to state that there is a stand-by operational local area network which should have automatically come into service when the main operational local area network failed; the reason it failed to do so; the further reason the maintenance local area network was not manually switched into operation as is provided for should both operational networks fail; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26182/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 266 and 267 together.

On 19 September, 2008 I received the Irish Aviation Authority's report on the radar malfunction at Dublin airport on 9 July, 2008. The report was also made publicly available on the Authority's website www.iaa.ie. As set out in the report, the measures being implemented by the IAA and THALES ATM were intended to minimise the effect of a recurrence of like or similar failures of the ATM system in the future. The report also describes the contingency arrangements in place and states that these arrangements are consistent with the best arrangements available worldwide.