Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Dec 1989

Vol. 394 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Dublin City Smog Levels.

Mr. Quinn

I thank you, Sir, for having allowed me raise this matter which has been the subject of much discussion by the ordinary person in the street and in the media.

There have been numerous promises made by the current Minister of State at the Department of the Environment since she assumed office in relation to environmental matters but in their impact on what is happening on the ground none of those promises has had any realistic or positive effect. The time for talking is over. For the past two to three years we have known that this city was threatened by an endemic major, recurring smog problem. This is no surprise, this is no environmental earthquake that has occurred without prior warning. This has been forecast for quite some time.

I have to say that a very courageous, young Minister, who has taken on the responsible of Minister of State in the Department of the Environment — has been given a very dirty political job in more ways than one. She has been hung out, not to dry but to choke by the present Administration and choking she is because the reality is that this Government have no real, immediate answer to this problem. We have had promises for the future, we have heard all sorts of promises about what they will do at some stage in the near future.

I note that the seventh cavalry has now arrived in the person of the Minister for super smog, the senior Minister in the same Department who, in the security of smoke-free Mayo, is able to look on at the choking of Dublin citizens.

There is another dimension to this problem. Who is benefiting from the hype in coal prices and in the price of coalite? We have a private enterprise sector monopoly on the distribution of coal which is causing certainly more than 50 per cent of the problem. This is the deregulated market economy, much beloved of the Progressive Democrats and of the born-again Republicans in Fianna Fáil. On the one hand there are the semi-State bodies such as the ESB, Bord na Móna and Bord Gáis who can actually deliver a clean environment. On the other hand we have private monopoly — Coal Distributors Limited — who have gobbled up the only competitor who surfaced for a short period of time — who are exploiting the choking misery of Dublin citizens in the way in which they have monopolised coal prices in this city. It is an absolute out-rage, compounded by Government inaction, compounded by the problems of administering the provisions of the Air Pollution Act and by the failure of the present Administration to introduce the necessary amendments which they promised frequently outside the House. However, since they never effectively promised them in the House, the Taoiseach on the Order of Business today was able to evade a proper and legitimate response to a legitimate question. I am saying to the Minister of State, who must know there is an emergency, and to the Minister for the Environment, who is an unhappy partner in this new and surprise Coalition Government, that between them they have to work out a solution.

(Interruptions.)

Mr. Quinn

The matchmaker is not present and I do not think Deputy Kitt should step into that role.

This smog problem is no surprise. We have had many warnings. I am asking the Government to put their verbiage into action. There are only two Minister for the Environment in this Assembly and both are in the House tonight. I am asking them to do four specific things to prove their sincerity and commitment. There are friends of mine who cannot come out tonight. There are people I know who, as Deputy Currie said when the Ceann Comhairle threatened to order some person out of the House, are safer in the House than out of it because of the smog.

Mr. Rabbitte

That is why I have not gone home yet.

Mr. Quinn

I address my remarks to the Minister of State for smog and dirt, Deputy Harney. I have the decency not even to refer to the stillborn child in the EPA and the dead corpse of An Foras Forbartha, the executioner of which is in the House. That body could have responded to some of these problems.

An Ceann Comhairle

Ministers should be referred to by their appropriate titles. Derogatory remarks should not be made about them. That is a Standing Order of this House.

Mr. Quinn

I will observe it. The Minister of State with responsibility for environmental protection is totally negligent in the execution of her duties. I have reason to say that she has been politically spancilled by the senior Minister in that Department, who belongs to another party and whose attitude to the forced marriage in the summer was not exactly unknown. I am asking them to put behind them the clear political and personal differences that are getting in the way of the delivery of an effective emergency programme for the citizens of Dublin. I want the following to be initiated tonight by the two Ministers. There is nothing stopping them but their own political timidity. First, there should be the declaration of a smog emergency to last for the rest of this winter. Let us agree on that. Second, the Government should order CDL to reduce the price of coalite to a level 25 per cent below the price of coal. Let them do it now. It is a private enterprise monopoly. If Bord na Móna, the ESB or Bord Gáis were involved, the Government would be able to do it. Let us see if the deregulated market in which the Government have so much faith can respond to human needs. Third, the burning of bituminous and other excessive smoke solid fuels should be prohibited by emergency order until the end of the winter. The Ministers have the power under the safety and public health legislation if they have the political will. Finally, in the event of CDL refusing to co-operate with the Government in the exercise of their private enterprise monopoly which is choking the citizens of Dublin and pumping poison into the air, the Government should instruct the ESB to commence the importation of smokeless fuels. This they were about to do but the project was terminated. The time has come for action rather than attending seminars, as the Minister of State has been doing.

Mr. Rabbitte

The green goddess.

Mr. Quinn

The Minister of State at the Department of the Environment must realise that she is in Government and not in Opposition, that she is behind the wheel of the car and not a back seat passenger, that she has responsibility, subject to what the Minister for the Environment allows her to do. Perhaps there are dual controls in the environmental car they are driving. Her steady-as-she-goes policy has not worked. We have been in breach of EC regulations for a number of days and the prospect is that between now and the end of March Dublin citizens will have their lives shortened, if not terminated, by the political inaction of this Administration, who cannot claim that they were not forewarned. I have made four specific suggestions to the Minister of State, an emergency declaration, a reduction in the price of coalite, the banning of the burning of bituminous coal and permission to the ESB to bring in and distribute non-heavy smoke coals if CDL are not prepared to co-operate in the public interest.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Miss Harney)

The present smog problem is very serious and I have never sought to minimise how vital an issue it is. It is important that Members should be honest and realistic in appraising the problem and proposing solutions. The smog problem has been around for a decade. We must remember that in 1982 Dr. Luke Clancy produced his report highlighting the possible health hazards of smog in the city and county. That was a period during which we had a Coalition Government of Labour and Fine Gael. They were in office for four-and-a-half years. What did they do about the smoke problem? They extended grants for open fireplaces and chimneys. Those grants were not abolished until the present Minister took office. They did not even get the Air Pollution Act successfully through the Oireachtas. The first air pollution legislation was put through when the present Minister took office.

Mr. Quinn

It did not take the Minister long to settle into the Fianna Fáil mode. Back to the womb.

Miss Harney

It is important when dealing with this issue that people should be fair, honest and realistic. It is a bit much for Deputy Quinn and his colleague, Deputy Rabbitte, who still burns coal in his house in Clondalkin——

(Interruptions.)

An Ceann Comhairle

The Minister of State has merely five minutes to reply. Deputy Quinn was allowed to speak devoid of interruptions. I must insist that the Minister be heard without any interruption whatever.

Miss Harney

It is a bit much for members of the Opposition to make glib name-calling remarks at me in an effort to get empty headlines in tomorrow's newspapers. I thought Deputy Quinn was going to make some suggestions which I could put into practice but he did not. He asked us to declare a smog emergency; we can certainly do that. He asked us to order CDL to bring down the price of coalite. It was because of the huge increase in the price of coalite during the past year by up to 27 per cent that I asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce to investigate the price increase. He has asked the Director of Consumer Affairs and the Fair Trade Commission to do that. Perhaps it will be possible following that investigation to make an order to reduce the price of coalite. Deputy Quinn asked us to ban the burning of bituminous coal in Dublin for the rest of this winter. That certainly would be a very simple solution. We could announce in the morning a ban on the burning of coal. If the Government did not really care about the householders of Dublin and simply wanted to be perceived to be doing the right thing we could certainly do that, but what would be the consequences? In the Dublin area 177,000 householders rely on solid fuel as their main source of heating and 160,000 of these can burn coal only.

Mr. Quinn

Or briquettes.

Miss Harney

Yes, or briquettes.

An Ceann Comhairle

Will Deputy Quinn please desist?

Miss Harney

I would encourage householders to switch to briquettes and to the low smoke fuels, many of them can afford to do so. If we were to give those householders a grant, on the basis of the grants we have been giving already, to convert to gas or whatever, it would cost up to £110 million.

Mr. Quinn

Rubbish.

Miss Harney

It is fact based on an average of £700 a house for 160,000 houses.

Mr. Quinn

It is not being requested.

Miss Harney

Even if this money was available, how long would the conversion take? I do not think the building industry and the energy utilities could respond. For example, Dublin Gas at present can convert only up to 14,000 houses per year.

Another suggestion is that we could tax coal. A possible tax on coal to reduce the differential between it and coalite and enhance the price competitiveness of other low smoke fuels seems an attractive option but what of the implications? It would have to be applied nationally and there would have to be a reasonable subvention for social welfare recipients. Would it even be effective in changing attitudes? If you look at the price differential, for example, in relation to unleaded petrol, which is 5p a gallon cheaper than the premium top grade leaded petrol, sales of unleaded petrol stand at only 11 per cent despite the fact that 50 per cent of the cars could drive on this fuel. Price alone does not change people's habits. A VAT reduction was suggested. A full subsidy to bring the price of coalite down to the same price as coal would cost £18 million a year and that would be simply a temporary deferral of the problem. It would favour one main supplier, one private company, and that would be the equivalent in cost to grant aiding nearly 26,000 permanent conversions per year.

The Government have recently established a working group who will consider and report within three months on policy options for fuels in the Dublin area. This committee, consisting of representatives of Dublin Gas, the ESB, Eolas and several Government Departments, is being chaired by the Department of the Environment. It is currently examining such questions as the feasibility of extending the gas mainlines throughout the city, the steps that need to be taken to maximise the domestic use of natural gas and also the greater use of electricity, LPG, peat and other smokeless and low smoke fuels. This committee, which was established about a month ago, will, as I have said, report within three months.

Mr. Quinn

Brilliant, a committee.

Miss Harney

I am sorry, Deputy, but if your Government had done much of this work when you were in office we might not have to do it now.

Mr. Quinn

You are long enough in business not to be throwing that stuff.

An Ceann Comhairle

Let us hear the Minister without interruption.

Miss Harney

I would love to be able to wave a magic wand in the morning and make Dublin a smoke free zone.

Mr. Quinn

We had two and a half years of the Minister for smog; now we have a "ministerette" for smog.

Miss Harney

Realistically, as the Deputies in this House know, the best we can do is work towards the 1993 deadline and that is what I and my Department are doing. The Government are considering a number of options including a possible tax on coal, a subsidy in respect of low smoke fuels, a reduction in the rate of VAT on those fuels or the banning of coal. All of these are under consideration. I am optimistic that decisions will be made as soon as possible and that once and for all we can deal with this problem in the only way which is practical, that is on a permanent basis. I would urge Deputies in the Opposition to be helpful and co-operative instead of making glib, smart comments about myself and the Minister for the Environment. I was interested to know that they thought there were two Ministers for the Environment; obviously we are doing such a good job that it appears there are two people doing it——

Mr. Quinn

You are competing with each other to such an extent for publicity that you are not doing the job.

Miss Harney

I would again like to urge those householders in the city and county who do not need to use coal and who can afford to burn low smoke fuels to consider doing that in the national interest.