I wish to take the opportunity to ask the Taoiseach to talk to the Minister for Transport and ask him to urgently introduce the policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems. This regards the guidelines for the commercial operation of drones. In my constituency of Dublin Rathdown, there is a plan to open a drone delivery hub right in the heart of Dundrum village, next to Holy Cross Church. The decision has to be made on that by the closing date of 5 August, hence the urgent need for these guidelines. I hope that these guidelines will help reassure the general public about the noise, safety, privacy and environmental aspects of the operation of a drone delivery hub. It cannot be the case that we expect a funeral group, who expect calm and peace in their local church, to find themselves contending with the noise and buzzing of drones taking off and coming down right next door. I ask that, when the Minister publishes these guidelines, he takes into account our religious and community spaces and tries to provide some level of protection for them. The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins also raised this.

First of all, there is a comprehensive European Union legislative framework in place to regulate safe drone operations that is directly applicable in Ireland. I made this point last week in the Dáil. These regulations cover both recreational and commercial use, including commercial drone delivery services. The Irish Aviation Authority, the civil aviation regulator, oversees the implementation of the European Union's drone regulations and standards.

While there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place from an aviation safety perspective, there are areas where the rapid pace of expansion of drone operations has resulted in gaps and uncertainty, and a new policy framework is being developed. Work on the drafting of the policy framework was recently finalised and it is expected to be approved and published in the coming weeks. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, expects to bring the policy framework to the Government before the end of this month. This new policy framework for unmanned aircraft systems will seek to identify and address any policy, regulatory or legislative gaps.