Council not ‘unduly beholden’ by being airport noise regulator – Ross

Minister for Transport Shane Ross has rejected claims that Fingal County Council has a financial conflict of interest in its responsibility for monitoring noise pollution at Dublin Airport.

Mr Ross said he would introduce legislation in early November to give the council that power. The legislation would also allow noise regulations for the new runway being built at the airport to be scrapped.

Independents4Change TD Clare Daly pointed out that the airport authority was the council's "biggest ratepayer" and Fingal could in no way be viewed as being independent in its actions.

“Independence in regard to noise regulation is key,” she said.

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Mr Ross said DAA accounted for 15 per cent of Fingal’s total rates and about 8 per cent of the council’s overall budgeted income.

“I do not accept the claim that Fingal County Council is unduly beholden to the DAA for its income,” he added.

European model

Ms Daly also asked why the Government was insisting on “taking a different route from the rest of Europe” in making the council the noise regulator.

She criticised a claim the Minister made at a committee meeting that countries including Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and France had appointed organisations that were similar to the local authority to do the job.

Ms Daly said, “the Dutch ministry for infrastructure and water management, the Luxembourg ministry of sustainable development and infrastructure, the Hungarian ministry for national development, the French directorate general of civil aviation and the department of environment, and the Finnish transport safety agency are not the equivalent of Fingal County Council”.

Mr Ross told her: “I am not saying they are the equivalent of Fingal County Council.”

However, he said the council had responsibility under an EU noise directive and, given its planning functions, “it has considerable experience and expertise in the conduct of environmental impact assessments and in managing extensive public consultations. There are, therefore, synergies arising from the assignment of this additional role.”