Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 647: To ask the Minister for Transport the dates of all audits of the Irish Aviation Authority conducted since its inception under section 32, sub-section 3 of the Irish Aviation Authority Act 1993; the name of the firms and persons who conducted all of these audits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38262/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish Aviation Authority Act, 1993 (Section 32(3)(a)) requires me, as Minister for Transport, 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 in relation to aircraft and air navigation every three years.

Since the establishment of the IAA three Section 32 audits have been conducted. The first audit was conducted in 1996 and was carried out by PARC Aviation Limited, the second audit was conducted in 2000 and was carried out by Schleiss Trading & Consulting Denmark, and the third of the Section 32 audits was conducted in 2004 and was carried out by Booz Allen Hamilton.

The IAA is also subject to frequent independent auditing of the same activities by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Eurocontrol and more recently by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which was established in 2003. ICAO will conduct a comprehensive audit of Ireland's system for safety oversight of civil aviation early in 2010. Prior to the audit a very significant amount of information must be submitted to ICAO. Both my Department and the IAA are intensively engaged in those preparations at present.

Recently I announced my intention to amalgamate the safety regulation functions of the IAA and the Commission for Aviation Regulation with the planned new National Transport Authority. Detailed proposals will be developed to implement this decision in the coming months.

In light of the above, and of the need to ensure efficiency and value for money in the current economic climate, I do not propose to proceed with a further independent examination of the IAA at this time. The requirements under Section 32 of the 1993 Act will be considered in the context of the legislation I will bring forward to provide for the amalgamation of the IAA's safety regulatory functions into the National Transport Authority.