Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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296. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps his Department is taking to regulate the usage of delivery drones in residential areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39062/25]

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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297. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport whether his Department has conducted any scoping exercises or research into the impact of drone usage on residential and urban areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39063/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 297 together.

In 2018, competence for the regulation of civil unmanned aircraft systems operations passed to the European Union (EU). The EU regulatory framework for civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), established through Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the procedures and rules for the operation of unmanned aircraft and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft and on third country operators of unmanned aircraft systems, is directly applicable in Ireland. The EU UAS regulations are implemented and overseen by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) under its remit as the national civil aviation regulatorThe EU drone regulations are operation centric and focus on the risk of operations, i.e. the requirements for low-risk operations are less onerous than for higher risk operations. Under the EU regulatory regime, drones are categorised under three broad types – Open, Specific and Certified - with different regulatory considerations applied across each type.

Commercial drone delivery operations are provided for under the EU drone regulations. Such operations are closely regulated and fall into the medium risk “specific” category, which requires specific authorisation by a civil aviation authority, the IAA in Ireland. To obtain an operational authorisation, an operator must provide a comprehensive safety portfolio which includes assessing and addressing both ground and air risks with appropriate mitigations. These might include, for example, coordination with Air Traffic Control and the fitting the drone with a parachute and flight termination system. In addition to complying with EU drone regulations, drone operators must also comply with national laws, including environmental, planning and privacy laws.

While there is a comprehensive regulatory framework for UAS in place from an aviation safety perspective, there are areas where the rapid pace of expansion of UAS operations has resulted in gaps and uncertainty. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to finalise and publish a Policy Framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The Policy Framework will be seeking to identify and address any policy, regulatory or legislative gaps.

Many of the issues that will be addressed in the Policy Framework fall directly within the remit of the Department of Transport, while other issues cross-over into areas of responsibility of other government departments and agencies. The Policy Framework has been been developed through cross-departmental engagement structures and it will also be implemented through similar structures. It will facilitate the addressing of the matters such as planning and environmental issues by the appropriate authorities.

Work on the drafting of the Policy Framework has recently been finalised and it is expected to be published this summer.

The Department continues to engage with stakeholders to stay informed of ongoing projects and their research outcomes, such as the Drone Innovation Partnership (DIP) headed by Dublin City Council (DCC) in collaboration with Maynooth University, Lero (the Research Ireland Centre for Software), and the Irish Aviation Authority. The Department of Transport is engaging with Dublin City Council (DCC) and the work it is undertaking to future proof the city in how new and emerging technologies can be applied for the benefit of its citizens. The work of DCC and its partners in the area of integration of UAS operations in the city has, and will continue to, inform the ongoing development and implementation of the Policy Framework.

However, the Department itself has not, to date, commissioned scoping reports or research into the impact of drone usage on residential and urban areas.