asked the Minister for the Environment when he intends to make further smoke control orders; the conclusion he has reached regarding the full burning fire; and when he intends to introduce legislation amending the Air Pollution Act, 1987.
20.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Smoke Control.
9.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will introduce emergency measures to deal with the smog problem this winter, in view of the lack of progress in establishing smoke control zones; if he has considered amending the Air Pollution Act, 1987 to bring about a more effective response to the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
198.
asked the Minister for the Environment when he envisages that Dublin will be a smog-free city; the further steps he proposes to take to bring that about; in particular, if he has any proposals to ban the sale of bituminous coal in Dublin; if he has any proposals to subsidise the installation of natural gas central heating systems on a capital basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 20 and 198 together.
I have confirmed the special control area orders, Ballyfermot B and the special control area order Ballyfermot C which were made by Dublin Corporation. This brings a total of almost 5,000 houses in the Ballyfermot area within smoke control areas. I have modified both orders which now provide that householders in the special control areas may burn any fuels specified in the orders and any "authorised fuel" and any other fuel, provided it is burnt in an "authorised fireplace". The provision for an "authorised fireplace" has been included in the orders so as to allow for the possibility that suitable appliances may be put forward for use in the smoke control areas. However, I have no proposals to make regulations in relation to "authorised fireplace"; in particular, having regard to the evidence presented at the oral hearing, and the report thereon, I do not propose to authorise the appliance known as the full burning fire, distributed by Coal Distributors Limited, as an authorised fireplace for use in Ballyfermot special control areas B and C.
I have specified 31 May 1990 as the date on which the two orders are to come into operation. This takes account of section 41 of the Air Pollution Act, 1987 which provides that an order cannot come into operation earlier than six months after it is confirmed.
The Government are making £3 million available in 1990 on top of £1 million provided in 1989 to help householders meet the costs of any heating adaptations necessary in order to comply with the requirements of special control area orders. Grant schemes will now apply in relation to Ballyfermot Areas B and C, along the lines of the scheme which already applies in Ballyfermot Area A. Grants will be available until 31 May 1990 to allow conversions to be carried out before the two orders take effect. It will be open to householders to avail of the grant-assisted option of their choice. Full details of the scheme will be made available to householders from Dublin Corporation, who will be making the necessary arrangements for publicising the schemes and for processing grant applications.
Having regard to the data now available, and in particular the May 1989 Eolas report which detailed the results of an intensive programme of baseline smoke emission tests on certain solid fuels and appliances, including the full burning fire, the Minister for the Environment has revoked regulations made in 1988 which declared that fireplace to be an authorised fireplace for the purposes of the Ballyfermot, Area A, special control area. The fireplace may not therefore be used for burning bituminous coals or any fuel other than the specified "smokeless" or low smoke fuels and grants will not be paid in respect of it. However grants will remain available in respect of a range of suitable heating options, and householders in Area A who may now wish to convert to one of these systems will be able to avail of these grants.
A further special control area order in relation to more than 2,500 houses in Ballyfermot Area D remains to be confirmed. Objections have been made to this order and if these are not withdrawn, arrangements for an oral hearing will be put in train without delay.
I am reviewing the provisions of the Air Pollution Act, 1987 in relation to special control area orders as a matter of urgency with a view to determining what amendments of the Act might be proposed in order to simplify procedures and to speed up the making, confirmation and commencement of special control area orders.
In order to encourage a switch to cleaner fuels, and to inform the public of the options available, I am launching a comprehensive media campaign this week using television, radio, press, and billboards. In addition, an information leaflet prepared in the Department will be delivered to each home in the Dublin area, beginning today. This media campaign will continue over the winter months. Individual householders may get additional information on the options available by contacting the Energy/ Environment hotline.
I am also making regulations under section 53 of the Air Pollution Act, 1987 in order to ensure that smokeless and low smoke solid fuels are available at all outlets where solid fuels are retailed. At my request, the Minister for Industry and Commerce has agreed to request the Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trade to look urgently into the price structure of coalite as compared with coal.
Further measures to deal with the short term and long term aspects of the smoke pollution problem, including measures such as those suggested by Deputy Spring, are being considered.
I am concerned about the limited time available to dispose of the remaining priority questions. I am appealing, therefore, for the utmost brevity and relevance.
Would the Minister agree that the manner in which the Government have approached this problem so far has been a shambles? Would she further agree that the Minister for the Environment, Deputy Flynn, made a very serious error in originally including the full burning fire in the Ballyfermot A order? Would she also agree that the leaflets with the heading "Smog Busters" which are to be put through everybody's door are not really part of a smog busting campaign but rather a matter of the Minister and her colleagues hiding behind a public relations smog screen? Would the Minister agree that what we have heard today and her announcement yesterday amounts to no more than the fact that two additional orders are being made for the Ballyfermot area?
I did ask for brevity.
I am concluding now and I have been a great deal more brief than the Minister was in her reply. Can the Minister indicate to the House in what way this announcement, which still confines conversion grants to a portion of Ballyfermot, will help people in Crumlin, Finglas, Rathmines and other areas which are affected by smog?
I am not getting the co-operation I sought to dispose of these questions.
The Minister has nothing to offer any of those people.
Before Deputy Shatter responds to campaigns which are about to be launched, he should wait to find out what is said. He responded yesterday two hours before my Department issued a statement.
We got it right.
It might help him if he waited since then he might know exactly what we are doing. I would not agree that the campaign is a shambles. As Deputy Shatter knows, there are problems with the Air Pollution Act, 1987 and I hope to be in a position shortly after Christmas to bring forward amendments. If we are to solve the smoke problem in Dublin it will cost all of us money. Let us not kid ourselves. There is no inexpensive, cheap way of doing it. We will all have to make sacrifices and I hope we will be prepared to do so. In relation to the campaign launched yesterday, it is not true that I simply confirmed two orders. A total of £3 million is to be made available in grants and regulations are to be made for people to stock fuels. This is part of an ongoing process. A prices inquiry is to be established by the Minister for Industry and Commerce who is asking the Fair Trade Commission to review the price of coalite as opposed to coal. Regarding the media campaign, the public want information. My Department and the Department of Energy are inundated with requests for information on this matter. It is right that we should inform them. In the circumstances the Minister for the Environment was right to include the full burning fire because until Eolas made the full report available in May this year we were not in a position to establish the exact status of the coal burning fire. In those circumstances it would have been irresponsible of the Minister not to include it.
May I ask one brief supplementary?
Sorry, Deputy, I am seeking to dispose of your remaining question and that of Deputy Gilmore. Priority questions conclude at 3.01 p.m.
The question would have been answered in this time.