Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 30 Nov 2023

In recent weeks, there has been a clamour to lift the passenger cap at Dublin Airport to enable further untrammelled growth. That clamour is coming from the DAA and the airlines, including Mr. Michael O'Leary of Ryanair, who has said that the DAA should just ignore the cap. The Taoiseach, of course, has backed them up. Does the Minister support Fine Gael and Ryanair, which want to lift the cap, or his Green Party colleagues, like Mr. Ciarán Cuffe, MEP, who has rightly questioned the wisdom of doing this during the climate crisis?

There are other parties in government.

Increasing the capacity of Dublin Airport is in line with national aviation policy, which recognises the strategic importance of that airport in meeting national social and economic policy goals and includes a specific objective of developing it as a hub airport with the necessary capacity to connect key existing and emerging global markets. While the importance of the airport to Ireland’s island economy is recognised, it is important to the Government in ensuring the sustainable development of Dublin Airport that we balance the objectives of the national aviation policy, the needs of business and tourism interests and the legitimate rights of local residents.

The DAA has statutory responsibility for the management, operation and development of Dublin Airport. It is the DAA’s responsibility to engage with the relevant planning authorities on all planning matters, including the lifting of the cap and the development of new infrastructure required to support increased connectivity. The 32 million passenger cap currently in place at Dublin Airport is a condition attached to planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála for Terminal 2. I am aware the DAA intends to submit a planning application to the relevant planning authority in the coming weeks to allow it to grow beyond 32 million passengers per year to 40 million. The application will also seek permission for all associated infrastructure required to support this increase in passengers, including the construction of new aircraft piers and stands.

The Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019 provides a wholly independent aircraft noise regulation process in accordance with EU law and established the aircraft noise competent authority, ANCA, as the independent noise regulator. The Act also provides that all future development is subject to assessment and mitigation in respect of the impact of associated aircraft movements. This provides a safeguard against any award of planning permission until such time as the proposal has been fully assessed in respect of noise impacts.

The Deputy will be aware the CEO of the DAA has confirmed that, until planning permission to grow beyond 32 million passengers is granted, it will continue to manage passenger capacity through the terminals at Dublin Airport to ensure this planning condition is not breached.

I will set out further context in my next contribution.

The Minister of State referred to the sustainable development of the airline sector. Does he accept that, if the number of passengers is increased from 32 million to 40 million per year, there will be a significant increase in emissions? It is that simple. I believe it was the CEO of the DAA whom I heard on the radio trying to claim that, by increasing the number of passengers, the DAA would be able to invest in electric buses and so forth at the airport and thereby reduce emissions even though the lion’s share of emissions is clearly caused by the actual flights. I do not see it as being compatible with the Government’s commitment to a 51% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and the commitments that will be made over the next couple of weeks at COP28 to envisage expanding the number of flights at the airport.

Dublin Airport is a key driver of growth in our economy and the international gateway for trade, inward investment and tourism. In addition, and as the Deputy will be aware, census 2022 showed that Ireland's population had increased by 8% between 2016 and 2022 and by 31% since 2002. While alternatives to air travel, such as rail, can provide essential connectivity for many of our European neighbours, we do not have similar options as an island nation and air transport will, therefore, remain essential for our economy and our people.

Look at the economic importance of our airport. According to the recent InterVISTAS study, it contributes to the employment of 116,000 people and a total of €9.6 billion in gross value added, which is the equivalent of 2.3% of GDP.

We want to ensure Dublin Airport grows in a sustainable way. We are establishing a sustainable aviation fuel task force so that, at wider policy level, we can ensure aviation in Ireland can grow sustainably and that we have energy alternatives. The task force will work with a range of stakeholders to ensure we exceed our European obligations in the context of the opportunities presented by sustainable aviation fuel.

Until we have some technology, which remains very far away and may never arrive, "sustainable growth of the airline sector" is an oxymoron. Flying is the most carbon-intensive method of travel, and that is not even to mention private jets, which are even more carbon intensive, given all that weight taking off, fuelled by fossil fuels, for just a few passengers. Flying is the most unsustainable way to travel, yet the Government believes we can expand it sustainably. We cannot. This is a choice. We expand aviation or we seriously try to achieve the climate targets. The latter means saying we should not be expanding our airports and passenger numbers and should instead be investing in ferries, rail and so on and limiting – I would say “banning” – the use of private jets. I do not see how an expansion is compatible with what the Government has signed up to in terms of cuts in the transport sector.

The increase in the capacity of Dublin Airport is in line with our national aviation policy, which recognises the strategic importance of the airport in meeting national social and economic policy goals and includes a specific objective of developing it as a hub airport with the necessary capacity to connect key existing and emerging global markets. We are an island economy and have business, tourism and trade interests. Along with this, many people in our communities value the importance of connectivity with European and other markets, and it is important they are not forgotten in this conversation.

As Dublin Airport develops, we want to ensure it meets its climate commitments by reducing emissions. There are strong commitments from the airport as regards sustainability. In the wider aviation sector, the use of sustainable aviation fuel is developing in many economies. We are establishing a sustainable aviation fuel task force so that we can plan to scale up the use of such fuels in the years to come and make aviation sustainable while meeting the needs of our citizens, businesses and trade as an island nation.

Will the Minister of State provide an update on the road safety measures being considered for implementation, including the reduction in speed limits across the country, in the context of the high number of road deaths recently? I understand that, yesterday, the number stood at 171 road fatalities so far this year. It is a tragedy that we are losing so many people on our roads. In that context, while efforts are being made, we need to re-examine everything we are doing.

The trends we are witnessing on roads this year are of particular concern and devastating, with road fatalities and serious injuries continuing to rise. We have experienced a growing trend in three of the past four years, this year being especially worrying. As a response to this trend, the Cabinet approved the drafting of a road traffic measures Bill on 17 October. My Department is working on this short and focused Bill, which will deal with a number of road safety issues.

The Deputy will be aware my Department completed the speed limit review in September. It contains many recommendations. Some will take time to implement, but our forthcoming Bill will address the crucial recommendation of reducing the default speed limit for three classes of road. Guidance will be issued to local authorities to commence speed limit reviews. The speed limit for national secondary roads will come down from 100 km/h to 80 km/h, the limit for local roads will be reduced from 80 km/h to 60 km/h and the limit for roads in built-up areas will be reduced from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. At a meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee, I set out the wider context of how this will operate. Speeding continues to be one of the main causes of collisions on our roads, and the speed of the collision can determine whether death or serious injury results.

The new Bill will make it mandatory for gardaí to test drivers for drugs after a collision involving death or injury. Currently, drug testing in these cases is optional. The new approach will be in line with alcohol testing provisions. It is hoped that, once the Bill's drafting process is finalised, it will be passed by the Houses in a timely manner so that we can curb this worrying change and not have a repeat of this year in 2024.

We are also continuing with a range of initiatives under the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030. The Deputy will recall that the strategy is divided into phases, with 2024 being the final year of phase 1. There are 190 actions, four of which have been added since the publication of the plan in response to emerging trends. I will come back to the Deputy with further information.

I thank the Minister of State. Regarding the speed limit reductions, when will we see the new signs being put up? It is well and good for us to talk about it, and the more conversation there is around it, the more people are aware and it is hoped it will have an impact. The thing that will have an impact is when it is actually in place. When does the Minister of State expect local authorities to be putting up signs reducing the speed limits on many of those dangerous roads?

The other aspect of this issue has to do with enforcement. The biggest problem is that we do not have the levels of enforcement we need. This particularly applies to the road policing sections of An Garda Síochána. These have been cut in almost every county. This issue also needs to be examined.

I have raised the issue of the roads themselves several times. I note in the budget that €150 million was removed from road safety and put into active travel. I know there was an explanation of that decision, but when I speak to local authorities, there are concerns that when they look for money, they will not be able to get it for accident black spots. In fairness, the Minister was in a committee this week and told me there would be funding available. Have local authorities been told when that funding will be available and what will be available?

We hope to have the guidance on speed limits prepared and finalised in quarter one of next year and the legislation passed as well. That will then issue to local authorities to allow them to conduct speed limit reviews. It will be a devolved function of local authorities to implement the new default limits and operate the guidance. That will progress through 2024. I have been clear that it will take 2024 to progress this. We have truncated the timeline when compared with the previous speed limit review. That took many years to be progressed. We are trying to sequence and synchronise this in a way that actually translates into reducing speed limits.

I agree that we need to strengthen enforcement. We are working with An Garda Síochána to ensure this. The Christmas road safety campaign is being launched today. The focus is very much on enforcement and on the issue of speed. I will come back on the roads investment point in the next contribution.

Regarding the speed limit review, I know the Minister of State sought for and succeeded in having pre-legislative scrutiny set aside for it. I was opposed to this because I felt we needed to look at it in more detail. I am always conscious when we bring in laws that, if they are considered by the public to be a little bit daft or a little bit silly or a little bit too far of a reach for them, people will not obey them. We have to be careful this does not happen, as has happened in the past in some circumstances. It also makes it very difficult for gardaí or for enforcement agencies to enforce those laws. That is why I felt we should have had proper pre-legislative scrutiny. There should have been a discussion between all the stakeholders about what it was going to mean and what impact it was going to have. However, we did not, and that is okay. The suspension of the pre-legislative scrutiny is clearly not going to speed up the process. From what I have heard the Minister of State say, it will be at least the end of next year before we see these new speed limits being put in place. The Minister of State said it will be quarter 1 before the legislation is finished and then it would be put out to the local authorities. They will have a lengthy process to get through that. I imagine that, at best, it will be the end of next summer and probably the end of the year before we see it in place.

The timelines are those I set out in September when I outlined what was in the speed limit review. Our intention was always to issue guidance to local authorities in quarter 1 of next year and then, through 2024, speed limit reviews would be undertaken by local authorities and new speed limits decided on. If we had followed through on the Deputy's proposal, we probably would have been waiting a year to get the legislation changed and we probably would not have seen changes to the speed limits for two or three years.

We have had strong stakeholder support from rural and urban areas. People have commented publicly on this. Recent polling data to be outlined today by the Road Safety Authority shows strong support for the reduction of speed limits. Many towns and villages have excessive speed limits which are really affecting vulnerable road users. We have had a really worrying increase in the number of pedestrians killed. This will make a difference when it is implemented. We are on track in the context of the timeline I set out in September on the guidance being issued to local authorities in quarter 1 of next year and then the local authorities implementing that over a period of months. Not waiving pre-legislative scrutiny would have delayed this by years and that is what would have happened under the Deputy's proposal.

Last year we had the highest number of road deaths in six years and, tragically, it looks like 2023 will surpass this figure. While we need increased enforcement, we also need to recognise that driver error is one of the biggest causes of deaths on Irish roads. We need to address this by using in-car technology that can significantly reduce road accidents and deaths.

I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this important issue. The rising trend in road deaths and injuries is of particular concern, as is the very serious trend in the numbers of vulnerable road users. It is a source of great concern to me and to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Ensuring the vehicles driven on our roads, and each of the components of these vehicles, are safe, roadworthy and designed to the highest possible technical standards is an important measure to reduce road traffic accidents and a vital part of our road safety strategy.

The minimum standards which cars must meet are set down in type-approval law. Type-approval is the process to certify that a model of vehicle meets all safety, environmental and conformity of production requirements before allowing it to be placed on the EU market. I agree with the Deputy that Ireland should promote the use of the safest vehicles with the most advanced safety features, including intelligent speed assistance, emergency lane keeping systems, dynamic cruise control and automated braking systems, among others. These systems have been found to be effective in reducing fatalities, decreasing the number of road accidents and mitigating injuries and damage to other vehicles.

There is already a legal requirement to restrict the sale of new cars without such systems. All new models of car sold in the European Union have been obliged, under the revised EU general safety regulation 2019/2144, to incorporate advanced driver assistance technologies as part of their design from July 2022. This requirement will apply to all new cars from July 2024 onwards, whether a new model or not, meaning that all car manufacturers will be legally required to ensure any cars on sale in EU showrooms, including those in Ireland, have all mandatory advanced assistance systems fitted. Updating vehicle stock with innovative safety technology in this way will ensure the fleet becomes safer over time as older vehicles are phased out of circulation.

I thank the Minister of State for his response and the progress being made on this. It is in the context of the Science Week Ireland presentation that Members of the Oireachtas received from Professor Martin Mullins from the University of Limerick and Professor Martin Glavin from the University of Galway, who articulated to us how this technology, using artificial intelligence, can significantly reduce road deaths.

In that context, what can we do with vehicles imported into the European Union to ensure any second-hand vehicles coming onto the European Union market also comply with this? The reality is that many people cannot afford to purchase a new car. As a result, those who cannot afford to purchase new car could be facing much higher insurance premiums, as is the case of people in rural areas because many of these technologies will not function on roads that do not have road markings.

The EU regulation on this updated the previous 2009 regulation on safety technologies. It requires all cars, vans, trucks and buses to be equipped, in addition to tyre pressure monitoring systems, with minimum safety systems such as intelligent speed assistance, alcohol interlock installation facilitation, driver drowsiness and attention warning, advanced driver distraction warning, emergency stop signal, reversing detection and events data recorders. Advanced emergency braking and lane keeping assistance are also mandated for light duty vehicles.

Both must be capable of detecting, first, obstacles and vehicles moving in front of the vehicle and, as a second stage, extend the detection capability to include pedestrians and cyclists in front of the vehicle. Obviously, that applies to all new cars from July 2024 in the context of the European Union, whether a new model or not.

In terms of the look-back at the second-hand and traded market, this regulation applies to new vehicles. It is a European position and European regulation, so it is something that we can have further engagement on with the Commission as to how it can retrospectively examine that. When such European regulations are introduced, as the fleet circulation changes, it is about trying-----

In the presentation, the results given to us, based on UK research and data, show that these technologies could reduce the overall number of accidents by close to one quarter and that pedestrian accidents could be reduced by 28%. If that was applied across all vehicles in Ireland today, the 42 pedestrians who sadly lost their lives on Irish roads last year - the highest figure in the past 15 years - would be reduced by 12 and there would be 12 more people walking around today. I ask, first, that the standards would also apply to vehicles being imported from outside the European Union. Second, we need to look at how to address the existing fleet on our roads, both in terms of safety and the financial implications this has for insurance for people who cannot afford a new car or who live in rural Ireland.

I was about to come to that point. I will check the legal position on imported vehicles, how they are defined and whether they are deemed new imported vehicles. Obviously, if it is a new vehicle or car in an EU showroom, that is one thing, whereas an imported vehicle is defined as a second-hand vehicle. I will check to find out how that will apply. The current taxation position has drastically reduced the number of imported vehicles, as the Deputy knows, but it is a fair point. We do not want circumvention of the spirit of what the EU regulation sets out. We will check that point with the European Commission.

On the general point about having a retrospective position on second-hand and other cars, the EU regulation applies to new vehicles. I believe there should be a wider discussion with the European Union on how we support those who cannot afford a new vehicle to benefit from such technology. We will engage with the European Commission on that point.