Shannon Airport Facilities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 January 2021

Thursday, 14 January 2021

Questions (22)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

22. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 279 of 10 November 2020, the number of US troops and the quantity of weapons and munitions that passed through Shannon Airport per month in November and December 2020; the details of any reviews carried out by his Department into the practice of providing exemptions under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989; the details of the unit within his Department which is responsible for the provision of exemptions under the 1973 and 1989 orders, including the number of employees in the unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1938/21]

Written answers

Minister for Transport

The Civil Air Ireland unit in the Aviation Services Division of my Department is responsible for administering the system for granting exemptions under the Air Navigation (Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders, 1973 and 1989. At this time, there are four members of staff directly involved in the administration of this system, alongside having other responsibilties.

The internal review of the Air Navigation (Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders, 1973 and 1989 was in the process of being finalised at the end of 2019 and early 2020. This work has been suspended due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

My Department has no statutory function with regard to the transit of foreign military personnel through Irish sovereign territory or Irish airports.

Shannon Airport Authority has informed my Department that they collate such information at the end of each month, and that the numbers of US military personnel that transited through Shannon Airport during the periods referred to were:

Months in 2020	Number of US military personnel that transited Shannon Airport
November	3,414
December	1,884