Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
276. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Transport the statutory basis on which the outcome of a review of the competent authority's performance under section 3(9)(a) of the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019 will inform consideration of the future planning framework for Dublin Airport. [68420/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019 requires the appointment of a person to review the performance of the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA) within seven years of the Act's enactment. The first such statutory review is currently underway.
The review is focused on ANCA's performance of its functions under the 2019 Act as the competent authority responsible for the management of aircraft noise around Dublin Airport. It is not, in itself, a review of the planning framework for Dublin Airport.
The findings of the review will help inform broader consideration of the appropriate future planning framework for Dublin Airport, including the interaction between aircraft noise regulation and the planning process. In this context, noise mitigation at Dublin Airport is already subject to extensive regulatory oversight, and the 2019 Act also introduced consequential amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2000 to provide for planning applications relating to airport development to be processed through the general planning system.
Accordingly, while section 3 of the 2019 Act provides the statutory basis for the review itself, there is no specific statutory provision requiring that its outcome determine or direct future planning policy. Rather, the findings of the review will help inform wider policy and regulatory considerations relating to Dublin Airport.
