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Irish Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Lack of regulation on drones is like ‘the Wild West', TD tells committee
As the commercial drone company Manna plans to launch a new hub in Dundrum, Dublin, to run in addition to its hub in Blanchardstown, Fine Gael TD Maeve O'Connell described the situation as 'a completely unregulated area' that is 'a bit of a Wild West'. 'We don't really have any limitations on noise, or the number of drones that can fly in effectively open-air space, and we don't have a lower limit that drones can fly at,' she said. Representatives of Manna, as well as the Irish Aviation Authority, Dublin City Council, Maynooth University, and University of Limerick, appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, where the lack of regulation of drones was highlighted. Fine Gael TD Emer Currie said Dublin 15 is being used as a test ground to launch commercial drone operations nationally, so the decisions the Government is making now will shape how drone technology is going to develop. She said there is no integrated regulatory framework when it comes to commercial drone operations. She said all four councils in Dublin operate under a combined noise action plan. However, drones appear to fall outside this framework. Paul Rutherford, the principal environmental health officer with the noise control unit of Dublin City Council, said the current legislation dealing with noise control is the Environmental Protection Act of 1992. 'Under sub-section 4 it says: 'this section shall not apply to aircraft', so under that legislation we cannot deal with noise complaints about drones,' he said. Jim Gavin, the chief operations officer of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), said its remit is the safety and security of drones. 'In relation to noise, there are no specific regulations for noise with the exception of drones that you would typically buy off the shelf with a CE marking,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT 'Those have a specific decibel level. With other drones there is no specific level. However, member states may put restrictions such as a decibel level in particular volumes of airspace.' He said there are strict safety regulations that drone operators must comply with, and the IAA has taken proceedings against a number of operators that have not complied. Bobby Healy, the CEO of Manna Air Delivery, said the firm is a world leader in the sector, and has created 160 jobs in Dublin. He said it has made more than 35,000 deliveries in Dublin 15 since it launched in March. He said the company is awaiting regulatory approval to bring in machines that are 40pc quieter. Mr Healy said the firm operates four drones in Dublin 15, and it would like to expand. 'We fully accept we need to have debate and regulations around the particular use of drones. I have no objection to that, in fact, I embrace it,' he said.
Irish Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Lack of regulation over drones is like ‘The Wild West', TD tells committee
As the Irish commercial drone company Manna plans to launch a new hub in Dundrum in Dublin to run alongside its Dublin 15 hub in Blanchardstown, Dublin Rathdown TD Maeve O'Connell described the situation as 'a completely unregulated area' which is 'a bit of a Wild West'. 'We don't really have any limitations on noise, or the number of drones that can fly in effectively open air space, and we don't have a lower limit that drones can fly at,' she added. Representatives of Manna, as well as the Irish Aviation Authority, Dublin City Council, Maynooth University, and University of Limerick appeared before the Oireachtas Transport Committee where the lack of regulation of drones was highlighted. Deputy Emer Currie said Dublin 15 is being used as a test ground to launch commercial drone operations nationally, so the decisions the Government is making now will shape how home deliveries and drone technology is going to develop. She said there isn't an integrated regulatory framework when it comes to commercial drone operations, and regulations focus on air and ground risk but don't take into consideration residential amenity. She said all four councils in Dublin operate under a combined noise action plan however drones appear to fall outside this framework. Paul Rutherford, the Principal Environmental Health Officer with the noise control unit of Dublin City Council said the current legislation dealing with noise control is the Environmental Protection Act of 1992 which legislates what is a noise nuisance. 'Under sub-section 4 it says: 'this section shall not apply to aircraft', so under that legislation we cannot deal with noise complaints about drones,' he confirmed. Jim Gavin, the Chief Operations Officer of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), said its remit is the safety and security of those drones. 'In relation to noise there are no specific regulations for noise with the exception of drones that you would typically buy off the shelf with a CE marking. Those have a specific decibel level. With other drones there is no specific level (for noise) however member states may put restrictions such as a decibel level in particular volumes of airspace,' he explained. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more He said that from a safety and security perspective there are strict regulations that drone operators must comply with, and the IAA has taken proceedings against a number of drone operators that have not complied, and have had a number of successful prosecutions. Bobby Healy, the CEO of Manna Air Delivery, said they are a world leader in their area, and have created 160 jobs in North County Dublin. He said its flight deliveries make one-eighth the CO2 of road-based delivery systems, is fully GDPR compliant, and has made over 35,000 deliveries in Dublin 15 since it launched in March. He said the company is awaiting regulatory approval to bring in machines that are 40pc quieter. Manna currently operates from three hubs in Dublin 15 and has had more that €1m in the form of equity grants from the Irish Strategic Investment Fund and Enterprise Ireland, he explained.. 'We're in the HPSU programme getting support and financial assistance in the form of equity grants, so they're a shareholder in the company,' he confirmed. Mr Healy said that while it currently operates four drones in Dublin 15 it would like to expand, and that operating 100 drones would be sufficient to run the business. 'We fully accept we need to have debate and regulations around the particular use of drones. I have no objection to that, in fact I embrace it,' he told the Committee. Regarding noise complaints, Mr Healy said if members of the public do not want their drones flying over their homes they can contact them and have their Eircode excluded from flight-paths. He also said that to date there have only been 25 such 'no-fly' requests in the 35 sq/km area they operate in with 44,000 Eircodes. He stressed they do not fly drones over large bodies of people such as schools and hospitals, and areas such as prisons or where events such as concerts and skating rinks are in operation. Committee Chairman Michael Murphy was critical of Manna for not having an emergency phone number it could be contacted on in the event of an unforeseen emergency. Commenting after the hearing, Deputy Currie said a National Framework Policy on drone use is urgently required. 'Bizarrely, the IAA has been able to issue licenses for drones to operate out of specific locations in Dublin 15 without any engagement with the local authority or adherence to the County Development Plan. There is a vacuum when it comes to public information, engagement, and complaints which is currently being driven by a corporate rather than public entity,' she added.
Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Almost 50 XL bully dogs surrendered since ban
Almost 50 XL bully dogs have been surrendered since the introduction of the ban on the breed. In October 2024, it became illegal to import, breed, rehome or resell an XL bully dog. On February 1 of this year, it became illegal to own an XL bully dog unless owners had a certificate of exemption. A certificate of exemption cannot be granted for an XL Bully that has not yet been neutered or deemed medically unfit for neutering Limerick and Cork City councils are among those who have seen dogs surrendered to them since the ban was introduced. Rural and community development minister Dara Calleary told Fine Gael TD Maeve O'Connell that in total, 48 XL Bully dogs had been surrendered. The highest numbers were seen in: Dublin City (11) Limerick (10) Cork City (4) Fifteen councils have yet to have seen a dog surrendered. Mr Calleary said: "Members of the public must comply with the regulations. Any owner found to be in breach of the regulations will have committed an offence under the Control of Dogs Act 1986. "Responsibility for the enforcement of the regulations rests with the individual local authorities, who are empowered to seize XL bully -type dogs where necessary under the relevant statutory provisions." The new regulations were introduced to protect public safety following a number of attacks by XL bully type dogs, a restricted breed, including the mauling to death of Nicole Morey, 23, in Limerick last June. Days later, members of the Garda Armed Support Unit had to shoot a pit bull terrier dog, a smaller version of the breed, after a woman was injured at a house in the Ballyphehane area of Cork City. In total, more than 1,800 applications for certificates of exemption were received, and to date almost 1,000 have been granted. Any owner found to be in breach of the laws could see their dog seized and euthanised in a humane manner. The owner could face a fine of up to €2,500, a jail term of up to three months, or both. Read More Cork college staff and students encouraged to home pups for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind
