Grace Boland: Demand for DAA to Act as a Good Neighbour

Thank you, Laskar Haireach, and as trains have been mentioned, Minister, I might just take the opportunity to ask you to engage with Irish Rail to make sure that the 1748 train from Drogheda Pierce to Malahide on Saturday evenings is a full eight carriage train as the last two Saturdays with the Malahide gigs on Malham Castle have been half trains. Thank you, Minister, and they've left people behind in Dunabate and I'm sure you'd be concerned about that. In terms of Dublin Airport, you know, I very much welcome the steps been taken to remove the passenger cap of Dublin Airport. We are an island nation, we depend on connectivity, and a cap on our capital city airport, as you said yourself, Minister, is a cap on our growth. Dublin Airport is not only an employer of approximately 130,000 people, it's also a gateway through which Ireland does business, attracts foreign direct investment, and connects to Europe and beyond. As a TD for Dublin Fingal West, or North County Dublin, a constituency I know to be the best in the country to live and work, it is also the constituency in which the airport is located, and I must raise a number of issues with you. Firstly, on the question of DAA being a good neighbour, the DAA has repeatedly said that it is acting as a good neighbour to residents, to community groups, to sports and outdoor organisations affected by being close to the airport, particularly in relation to noise and traffic. But Minister, you and I both know from our own direct engagement with constituents that this is simply not the lived reality for many people. I would urge you to instruct DAA to act fairly and genuinely invest in surrounding communities, and that means widening the voluntary dwelling purchase scheme, offering fair and appropriate buyouts to families who are most impacted, and significantly expanding the noise insulation scheme so that homes receive high-quality modern insulation that actually works. These measures already exist in principle, but they are too narrow and too limited in their application. They must be strengthened if we're serious about maintaining community trust. Secondly, flight paths. Following multiple engagements with DAA, the IAA, department officials and local residents, I have to say I'm none the wiser on flight paths. But what I do know is that something has changed, Minister. Something has changed in the last few years, and it's obvious to anybody living in North County Dublin, obvious to people working and playing outdoors, obvious to families who are not previously impacted by noise, despite living beside the airport, but who are now. And it's obvious to anyone sitting on a plane departing Dublin Airport, where aircraft frequently bank sharply after takeoff. Adherence to safe flight paths that genuinely minimise the number of people impacted is absolutely essential, and I'm tired of hearing explanations that do not align with the lived experience of residents. I simply don't understand how this issue has not been resolved by now. Thirdly, on traffic. A credible and detailed traffic mitigation plan is not optional, it's absolutely essential. Increased airport capacity will place additional pressure on the already strained M50 and M1 corridor, and at the same time, as you know Minister, Fingal is delivering much needed housing at pace, and that will further increase traffic volumes. We also have to factor in the disruption that will arise from the construction of Metro, and from the DAA's own infrastructure development plans. The delivery of a western access road from the M2 is critical. We also need a fit for purpose, fully integrated transport hub at the airport, with practical measures such as sufficient ticketing infrastructure, including LEAP card facilities, until such time as we have contactless payments. Minister, I also want to raise concern in relation to how the bill is drafted. As it stands, it allows DAA to apply to amend or revoke the passenger cap, but it does not require that application to include concrete proposals on traffic mitigation, noise reduction, insulation, buyouts, or any meaningful engagement with affected communities. Nor does it require those protections to be in place before the order is made. In effect, it creates a pathway for expansion without ensuring from the outset that the robust and enforceable protections are in place for those of us living close by the airport. I would ask you to re-look at that, and re-look at what is included in the onus on DAA in making its application. Finally, Minister, I want to raise the question of the national aviation policy. When will we see it? If we're serious about balanced regional development, we must ensure that regional airports are also supported to grow and to reach their potential. Dublin Airport cannot and should not carry the entire burden of national connectivity. Minister, I welcome progress on this important piece of legislation. I do urge you to ensure that the DAA genuinely acts as a good neighbour to those of us living and working in North County Dublin, and to strengthen the legislation to make sure that the DAA must demonstrate that it is a good neighbour in any application to you.