The Government is expecting to face legal challenges to its plan to introduce new laws to raise the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien got Cabinet approval on Tuesday to proceed with legislation to remove the airport’s passenger cap.
He has now signed off for development of a Bill to give the Minister power to remove or amend the 32 million annual passenger cap imposed under planning permissions granted in 2007 and 2008.
Mr O’Brien is to come back to Government with a general scheme later. The ambition is for full enactment before the end of 2026.
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The impact of the passenger cap for the broader economy is recognised in the Programme for Government’s commitment to lift the limit as soon as possible.
A Government spokesman said on Tuesday there would “no doubt” be challenges, but the Coalition was “confident” that addressing the cap with primary legislation was the best course of action.
The spokesman said the Coalition agreed the new laws were needed, but accepted residents and opposition groups near the airport had been actively opposing the plan to raise the cap.
Separately, the Government has considered the pre-budget estimates of receipts and expenditure – also known as the White Paper – which will be published on Friday in advance of Tuesday’s budget announcement.
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It sets out the pre-budget exchequer position for this year and next and it forecasts revenue and expenditure.
Ministers also agreed to set up a dedicated Garda unit to examine Northern Ireland legacy issues under plans brought to Cabinet by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris.
The Government here will provide €25 million to support victims and families of Troubles-era violence over the next three years under a joint framework agreement signed off by the Irish and UK governments aimed at addressing legacy issues.
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Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers told the Cabinet that €19.1 billion will be made available for capital spending priorities in 2026. Further detail on projects to be advanced under the National Development Plan using this funding is expected in November.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe updated the Cabinet on Ireland’s post-bailout surveillance programme, which assesses the State’s repayment of the €67.5 billion it borrowed in a troika programme during the financial crisis.
A total of €35.7 billion remains to be repaid, he told the Cabinet, with the post-programme oversight staying in place until three-quarters of the loans have been repaid. Government expects this repayment target will be reached in 2031.
