Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1000. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views in relation to whether his Department is aware of the European Union Commission-sponsored Ghent report and its references to Ireland and airlines regulated here, particularly in respect of the safety concerns raised in the report. [19873/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1001. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps his Department has taken to establish the extent of the risks to safety arising from the atypical employment arrangements reported and described in the Ghent report. [19874/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1002. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views regarding the risks to safety that have been identified by his Department arising from the atypical employment arrangements, usually meaning zero-hour contract arrangements, adopted by airlines operating or regulated within Ireland. [19875/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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1003. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if more specific risks associated with aviation safety have been identified; and the steps that have been, or are being, taken to mitigate these risks. [19876/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1000 to 1003, inclusive, together.

The labour market across Europe has experienced an increase in atypical employment in recent years across all sectors. The University of Ghent report on atypical employment in aviation was published in February this year and my Department and I are aware of it. The report was produced under the European Social Dialogue Committee by social policy experts.

The EU's extensive aviation safety regime is separate to the European Social Dialogue. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has competence for all areas of aviation safety in the EU and is best placed to give an expert view on any potential safety impacts of various working arrangements.  Ireland has a strong reputation for robust regulatory oversight of civil aviation. Our safety oversight regime is based on EU law and also accords with all applicable International Civil Aviation Organisation requirements. Ireland's safety oversight regime has been recognised as among the best in the world by ICAO under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme. Aviation safety risks are managed within this framework.