Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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607. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the categories of staff that are considered a risk and-or subject to physical security checks by private security firms when entering Dublin Airport and buildings at the airport for work; the categories of staff that are not considered a risk and are not subject to physical security checks by private security firms when entering the airport and its buildings for work; the number of civil servants permanently assigned to duties at the airport by Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6595/19]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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609. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of authorised officers assigned to Dublin Airport; the details by number of authorised officers, rank and or grade by the authority and or Department they originate from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6612/19]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 607 and 609 together.

The only authorised officers at Dublin Airport are the airport police and members of An Garda Síochána, who are designated as such under Section 48 of the Air Transport Navigation Act, 1998. The Deputy will appreciate that information in relation to the number of An Garda or airport police serving at Dublin Airport as she has sought is an operational matter and is security sensitive.

The principal regulation in Europe for setting out the standards for civil aviation security is Regulation (EC) No. 300/2008, and Ireland is required to adhere to the baseline requirements laid out in this Regulation, including a requirement that:

“ All persons other than passengers, together with their items carried, shall be screened upon entering critical parts of security restricted areas in order to prevent prohibited articles from being introduced into these parts.”

As such, all categories of persons are subject to security screening. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) conducts an annual risk assessment concerning the status of exemptions from security screening held by all categories of persons in Ireland. The specifics of this risk assessment are highly confidential and will not be revealed, but I can assure you that they are robust. The results of this IAA assessment were put to the National Civil Aviation Security Committee (NCASC) and subsequently endorsed by its members. The NCASC is comprised of Government Departments - including Department of Justice and Equality, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Defence - and State agencies including the Revenue Commissioners, An Garda Síochána and the Irish Aviation Authority. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Minister and Government on aviation security policy.

As regard security searches at Dublin Airport, these are carried out by the Airport Search Unit (ASU). The ASU are staff hired specifically for the purpose of security screening and are trained and certified in accordance with EU regulations. They are members of the daa staff and are not provided by a private security firm.