The Dáil has passed legislation to end the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
The Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill grants Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien the explicit power to amend or completely revoke the current 32-million-per-year passenger limit at Dublin Airport.
The cap was a condition of a 2007 planning permission.
There were some complaints from some Opposition members that amendments they had submitted for debate could not be dealt with due to the restricted debating time.
Once the allotted time for debate expired, the bill was put to the Dáil and 118 TDs from across the house voted in favour and 28 against.
The bill will now go to the Seanad for further debate next week.
Last week, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said the passenger cap “does not serve the State well” and “does not serve the people of the region well”.
The Dáil also passed the Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill, which allows for an LNG storage facility to be developed in the Shannon Estuary near Cahircon, Co Clare.
The House voted by 90 votes to 57 in favour of that bill.
Govt accused of making ‘mockery’ of emissions commitments
Earlier, the Government was accused of making “a mockery” of its commitment to reducing carbon emissions as the Dáil debated the two measures relating to energy usage.
Green Party TD Roderic O’Gorman was scathing in his assessment of the Government’s use of the guillotine to truncate debate in the chamber on the two pieces of legislation.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil earlier that creating an LNG terminal in Co Clare was an essential energy security measure, and not an indication of a lack of commitment to tackle climate change.
However, the Green Party leader said “there is no need for this to be rushed in this way”.
Watch: Roderic O’Gorman criticises the Government’s climate emissions commitments
“I think it’s unprecedented,” Deputy O’Gorman said.
For an energy infrastructure bill which “has a 25-year timeline, we’re getting two hours of debate,” he noted, claiming that this demonstrates that the Government is “not taking the issue seriously”.
“The idea that a brand-new piece of fossil fuel infrastructure would be exempted from the application of the Climate Act, it makes a mockery of our country’s statements that we take climate action seriously,” he said.
Other members of the Opposition expressed deep concern that the energy bill fails to insure that imports will be used strictly for emergencies, rather than becoming part of usual fuel consumption.
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said that people do not trust the Government to ensure the fuel is used only for emergencies and objected to some of her amendments being ruled out of order.
Labour TD Ciaran Ahern noted that the Government had briefed that the State will own the reserve and use it only in emergencies.
“I don’t understand … why none of this is in the bill. What are you afraid of?” he asked.
