380. Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Transport his views on Aer RiantaÕs proposals for a northern parallel runway at Dublin Airport for which an environmental impact statement is being prepared; if the Board of Aer Rianta will be directed not to proceed with the planning process for this proposal pending the commissioning by him of an independent study into the development of a second Greater Dublin/Leinster/Midlands airport as an alternative to this proposal; and, in his report, if he will comment on the opposition of Aer Lingus, Ryanair and the Aviation Regulator to the necessity for this project, given the opposition to this proposal by residents, for example on grounds of noise pollution, nuisance, traffic congestion, flooding and the need for proper spatial planning. [21 592/02]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan): I would refer the Deputy to the reply given on my behalf by my colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, to a Motion on the Adjournment of this House on Wednesday, 6 November 2002. That reply addressed the current position in relation to Aer RiantaÕs proposals for a new, second parallel runway at Dublin Airport.
With regard to the suggestion for the development of a new airport for the Greater Dublin/Leinster/Midlands area as an alternative to the expansion of the current facilities at Dublin Airport, this issue was addressed in the Warburg Dillon Read Report of 1999 on the future strategy for Aer Rianta. The consultants formed the view that Dublin Airport is not constrained from a capacity point of view and indeed that it has sufficient potential to expand and accommodate up to 40 million passengers per annum. Accordingly, the consultants confirmed that Dublin does not need a second airport given Dublin AirportÕs capacity to grow for the foreseeable future.
As my colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Noel Dempsey pointed out on the Adjournment last week, I will in due course consider Aer RiantaÕs proposal in relation to the new parallel runway from the shareholder and policy perspectives. Pending such consideration, it would not be appropriate for me to comment at this stage on the views of other parties in relation to the new runway proposal.