asked the Minister for Local Government the contribution the Government is making to the environmental fund which has been set up to deal with special problems of the human environment; the amount involved; and the policies the Government intend to follow in this matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Environment Fund.
14.
A decision has yet to be be made on the question of a contribution to the UN Environment Fund. The development of the programme is being observed with a view to such participation or other action as may be appropriate.
I specifically asked the Minister if he would tell me what Government policy was in relation to this fund, if and when it becomes operative. I think the answer is inadequate. Could the Minister expand?
I can, if Deputy Lemass wants more information. The UN Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm in June, 1972. The Minister for Local Government attended as head of the Irish delegation. Among the recommendations of the Conference at Stockholm was the setting up of an environment fund. The purpose was in general to give support to the environmental work of the UN bodies including new initiatives arising from recommendations made by the conference.
The setting up of a fund was approved by the UN General Assembly on 15th December, 1972. A target figure of 100 million dollars over five years was mentioned at the conference but the fund is a voluntary one and there is no ceiling on contributions. Contributions made or pledged for 1973 amount to some 12 million dollars; the estimate for 1974 is about 21 million dollars and for the period 1973-77 about £100 million. Ireland has intimated to the United Nations that a contribution will be made to the fund but the amount has yet to be finalised. The fund is under the general control of a governing council for environment programmes comprising representatives of 58 member states, on a rotating basis. The second session of the governing council took place in Nairobi in March, 1974, and the third session is due to be held at the same venue in May, 1975.
The fund is not intended to support development projects as much as international work in such areas as pollution monitoring and assessment, information exchanges, education and development of non-polluting technologies, with particular reference to work to be undertaken under the new UN environment programme.
At this stage, as the country is neither a member of the governing council nor a contributor to the fund it is not in a position to exert influence. As regards policy, the development of the UN environment programme is being observed with a view to such participation or other action as may be appropriate. An Foras Forbartha is active in a fund project—the development of an International Referral System under which environmental information centres are to be named in each country and linked together for exchanges. This is part of a proposed UN Earthwatch system of international monitoring and development of information about pollution and the environment.
In the last part of my question I asked what policy the Government intend to follow in this matter, and the Minister gave me no enlightenment on that.
I said the development of the programme was being observed.
It is the policy I am talking about.
We do not know yet what policy should be adopted until we see how it works. It is in the very early stages.
The Minister does not even know how many houses are being built.
I do. I can list them all for the Deputy. To the 31st March there were 25,600.