Dáil 16/11/2005

Airport Development Projects.

Mr. Sargent: Tá mé fíor bhuíoch don Cheann Comhairle as ucht cead a thabhairt dom an cheist an-thábachtach seo i saol na tíre agus i saol mo Dháil cheantar a árdú. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta de Paor, agus cé go bhfuil árd-mheas agam air, tá mé go láidir den tuairim gur cheart go mbeadh an t-Aire Iompair nó an t-Aire Airgeadais i láthair chun an cheist seo a phlé. Ní mar sin atá sé faríor.

I ask that the Ministers for Transport and Finance clarify how they propose to assess the cost benefit analysis which ought to be applied before any further plans are made to construct a second parallel runway at Dublin Airport. The 1,000 acres of public land, at a value of €1 million to €2 million per acre have an asset base of value of up to €2 billion, meaning that the project as envisaged would result in an economic loss of around €3 billion. This suggests an urgent need to address the imbalance in regional development and less concentration of air traffic around Dublin. Road traffic that would be generated by the construction of a further runway would bring Dublin to a virtual standstill.

The Dublin Airport Authority is outside the legislative remit of the Ombudsman, is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, while airport noise is not subject to Environmental Protection Agency regulations. The airport is only partially subject to planning law. We are dealing with an institution that does not have to play by the rules which apply to others. Even though the Department of Finance has issued clear guidelines requiring a cost benefit analysis for any project costing more than €30 million, there has been no such analysis for this project. The cost benefit analysis would be expected to set out a number of options, such as the current option of the parallel runway or an extension to the current runway. It would also set out another airport location to be considered or it would detail the knock-on effects of not doing anything.

At a meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport, Mr. Gary McGann of the Dublin Airport Authority told us, perhaps understandably, that it was not its role to examine other locations but simply to maximise the land at its disposal. I do not expect the authority to set out the country's aviation policy, but I would expect the Government to do so. That has not been the case. I ask the Government to face up to its responsibilities in that respect and to ensure that the Dublin Airport Authority not only reflects the guidelines of the Department of Finance but implements them transparently. That is not happening. If the runway were to be built, it would copperfasten the quasi-monopoly of Dublin Airport during the remaining years of the era of cheap oil. Building that runway would become Government aviation policy and lock us into that scenario.
Even though the construction costs are €140 million, the cost of this publicly owned land pushes this project above any of the considerations that have been given to it at the moment. Once the lost land is included, we are talking about a cost of €3 billion, along with the congestion that arises from the construction of the runway. Dublin Chamber of Commerce has pointed to a €1 billion congestion costs per year due to current traffic problems. The Minister for Finance spoke to the chamber of commerce on 20 October about new value for money measures. We do not see that from the Dublin Airport Authority and until we do, the Government is not doing its job. It must scrutinise this project because it does not stand up to a cost benefit analysis.

Mr. S. Power: Proposals on the development of Dublin Airport, including the planning and provision of runway capacity, are in the first instance a matter for the Dublin Airport Authority which has statutory responsibility to manage, operate and develop the airport and to provide such facilities and services as it considers necessary for aircraft and passengers. Dublin Airport is the country's main airport serving the needs not just of the travelling public in our capital city and the surrounding counties but also of the country's tourism, business and freight sectors. Notwithstanding the welcome increase over recent years in traffic at Shannon and Cork airports and at the regional airports, Dublin Airport will remain crucial to the national economy.

Passenger traffic through Dublin Airport is expected to grow to more than 18 million in the current year and is forecast to increase to 30 million by around 2015. The company is engaged in an ongoing programme of capital works to ensure adequate capacity at the airport in future. This programme includes the provision of a second parallel runway early in the next decade.

The national spatial strategy has acknowledged that the expansion of the level of air services from Dublin Airport to a wider range of destinations is essential in the interests of underpinning Ireland's future international competitiveness. The DAA submitted its application for planning permission for the proposed new runway to Fingal County Council in December 2004. The company responded in August this year to a request from the planning authority for further information. More recently, Fingal County Council sought clarification from the DAA regarding elements of that further information. The current planning process provides the appropriate forum for interested parties, including local communities and residents, to have their views and any concerns heard and taken into account by the planning authorities.

Dublin Airport has the scope and potential to expand to cater for future growth in air traffic for the foreseeable future. Much of the land necessary for the new runway was acquired in the late 1960s and in 1972, the then Dublin County Council included the proposed new runway in the county development plan. As a result of good long-term planning stretching back over four decades, the capacity now exists to provide the proposed second parallel runway and facilitate the continued growth and development of Dublin Airport. Unlike a number of other major European cities, we are particularly fortunate that the long-term planning for the development of Dublin Airport means that the existing facility can be developed to its maximum potential although it is located little more than six miles from the city centre.

The airport is also a major contributor to the local economy in Fingal and nationally. More than 100 companies are located at the airport site providing thousands of valuable jobs directly and indirectly. The continued growth and development of the airport will provide for further employment growth in and around the airport campus.

The Minister for Transport does not propose to conduct a cost benefit analysis of the runway project nor does he propose to commission any study of alternative options for the provision of airport capacity to serve the greater Dublin area. Subject to planning permission, it is envisaged that the Dublin Airport Authority will provide such capacity through the expansion of existing facilities and infrastructure at Dublin Airport. The continued growth of our business, tourism and manufacturing sectors, which are vital for the country's future economic development, relies on adequate transport infrastructure being available to accommodate that growth. This is as true for airport infrastructure as it is for other modes of transport. It is important for the continuing development of our economy that not only must existing infrastructure deficiencies in our transport system be addressed, we must also ensure that no new bottlenecks are encountered in future.
Mr. Sargent: A cost benefit analysis is required.