Drone users face fines of €500 or more under new Government rules

Government unveils new drone policy with fines, noise restrictions, and designated zones aimed at balancing innovation and public concerns

While final amounts for the penalties have yet to be set, fines for minor offences are expected to range from €300 to €500. Picture: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

The Government is set to crack down on individuals who are breaking existing rules on flying drones by imposing fines of €500 or more.

New fixed charge offences have been confirmed by Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien who has published the National Policy Framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

While final amounts for the full suite of penalties are yet to be set, it is understood fines for even lesser offences will be in the region of €500.

Those lesser offences could be flying a drone over a crowd or national monument, while more serious offences could be flying too close to an airport or interfering with Irish Coastguard operations. Under existing laws the serious offences can already penalties of up to half a million euro or three years in jail.

“The use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), often referred to as drones, has for commercial and other purposes, grown exponentially over the past decade,” Mr O’Brien said.

He said that while drones have provided “significant opportunities” to both businesses and the public, challenges have also arisen due to their commercialisation.

In particular, Mr O’Brien highlighted concerns within communities about issues surrounding “noise, intrusion and privacy”.

In recent years, there has been an expansion of drone delivery technology, particularly in Dublin through companies like Manna. Concerns have been raised about the noise impact of such deliveries in recent months.

Manna has signalled its intention to expand its operations into Cork. However, it is understood there is no imminent timeline for such a move.

The document does raise noise as a concern of the public, saying it and issues surrounding safety and privacy will need to be mitigated “in order to support societal acceptance of a [drone] services sector in Ireland”.

It adds noise is particularly an issue in urban areas.

The policy document includes the establishment of a new working group on drone “geographical zones”, which would develop transparent procedures for designating what areas can and cannot facilitate drone use.

This would permit State agencies, departments and local government to submit requests to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to create specific zones where drones are either permitted or prohibited.

Manna chief executive, Bobby Healy, has welcomed the policy framework, saying it “signals that Ireland is ready to lead in UAV innovation”.

However, the policy has come under fire from a Government TD who says it does not go far enough to provide certainty for areas already impacted by drone deliveries.

“I was disappointed to see that the framework published today commits to the creation of a working group on drone geographical zones,” Fine Gael’s Maeve O’Connell said.

“We have been calling for guidelines that provide certainty and reassurance to communities across Dublin, not the announcement of a working group that continues to leave the issue in limbo for another few months.”