Our guests are all very welcome. I am delighted to see the three MEPs before us but it is a pity that their fourth colleague is not here today. The work that they do is very important. Dublin is of strategic importance to this country. We are very mindful of the work our MEPs are doing in Europe and we commend them for working together for the betterment of Dublin and Ireland. There has been a lot of talk about security, border security and fuel security. I am very concerned about food security and supporting our f…

Hear, hear.

Do not worry, Senator, we would not allow that.

I read with great concern yesterday reports to the effect that Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, is concerned that tailbacks of traffic heading to Dublin Port through East Wall and the Dublin Port tunnel are so great that they may force the closure of access to the port for heavy goods vehicles, HGVs. TII is so concerned that it has suggested increasing the peak toll from €13 to €14. The number of cars using the port tunnel is rising so quickly that TII is recommending this increase to deter private car driver…

This is a fantastic festival organised by Rush Community Council. There will be beach volleyball, historical walks, a sandcastle competition, which my kids love every year, a didgeridoo rave, which is something I have not experienced before but am looking forward to, a food and drink fair and yoga on the beach. Senators should come to Rush over the August bank holiday weekend.

I started it.

I welcome the opportunity to speak to these amendments. I come at them from the point of view of somebody who lives very close to Dublin Airport. I support Dublin Airport, the jobs it creates and its input into the economy. I also support the communities around the airport. It is important to point out that what is proposed here does not take away from the development of our regional airports. I am familiar with our regional airports and the necessity of them. It is also worth pointing out that the passenger number…

As the Minister knows, I have been engaging with communities for a long time in relation to the issues they are experiencing around Dublin Airport, whether that is the voluntary dwelling purchase scheme, the insulation scheme or the issues the residents in St. Margaret's The Ward have in relation to the development of their community and the lack of investment into the community. As the Minister knows, the northern runway has been presenting huge problems since it opened in August 2022. The residents are feeling ig…

I want to speak to this amendment because it concerns an important issue that I have raised directly with the Minister. I have also raised it in this House and at the transport committee. The Minister said that a small number of residents have valid issues with living next to Dublin Airport. They deserve to be listened to and catered for. The people living around St. Margaret's have been living there for generations. Many of them are living in family clusters and we all know the importance in Irish society of inter…

We are all worried about the environmental impact of Dublin Airport. I live in close proximity to the airport. I speak to the communities from around the airport nearly daily. I am very much aware of the horticultural industry in north County Dublin and the need to protect it. The Senator has made some very good points. I listened carefully to what she was saying in her previous contributions. I have also listened to what the Minister is saying on this. I know he is very aware of it. I have spoken to him a number o…

I want to touch on something the Minister said earlier in relation to the flight paths and the independent assessment of the flight paths he said he would order on the conclusion of this legislation. I would like to get some more information in relation to that because I have spoken ad nauseam about the flight paths, their impact and the real noise pollution that is going on for the residents who are living directly under the flight paths in places such as Ballyboughal, Lusk, Kilsallaghan, Kilcoskan and all of thes…

I thank the Minister of State for comprehensively outlining this important legislation that we are here to discuss. The Minister of State has my full support in this legislation. It is timely. The Government made a decision in March 2025. When that decision was made, we clearly understood the need for resilience and the need to protect the interests of the State, but the Government could not have foreseen the situation that emerged, particularly over the past couple of months, when the energy supply has been weapon…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to discuss this important legislation. He will be aware that I use every opportunity I get to advocate for the communities of north County Dublin and tonight is no different. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Transport. I sat through the pre-legislative scrutiny and heard all the witnesses the Minister of State spoke about. We had a thorough examination of this Bill. First, I put on the record that I support the airport. I support the jobs the airport generates for the…

At 9.30 a.m. tomorrow.

The Minister of State is very welcome to the Seanad, as always. Balbriggan is the youngest and fastest-growing town in Ireland. It has a population of over 26,000 and is expanding. A lot of housing is going into Balbriggan at the moment. The wider catchment area has a population of over 63,000, including the towns of Skerries, Lusk and Rush. It is the furthest town in Dublin from a hospital, sitting at 32 km from Beaumont Hospital. A minor injuries unit is badly needed in the town of Balbriggan. I attended a very w…

I am very disappointed to hear the response from the Minister of State. I know there are no current plans to open a minor injury hub in Balbriggan. The Minister of State referred to Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow and Ballina, but we need to look to the future and the population demands. For the people of Balbriggan, the Smithfield rapid injury clinic and Connolly Hospital are even further away than Beaumont Hospital. It is completely unacceptable that a large population in north County Dublin is left without a basic ser…

People are not going to be going up to County Mayo for a fracture.

Fianna Fáil opposes this Bill at Second Stage. Ireland has a well-established procedure in place for the diplomatic clearance of the overflight and landing of state aircraft. This diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions with full respect to Ireland's policy of military neutrality. These conditions include that the aircraft must be unarmed and carry no arms, ammunition or explosives. The aircraft must not engage in intelligence gathering and the flight in question must not form part of military exercise…

I ask the Senator to withdraw that comment. It is not a fair comment and does not reflect reality.

I just requested the Acting Chairperson to ask the Senator to withdraw her comment in relation to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien.