Vol. 401 No. 4
38 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for the Environment if his Department have carried out any monitoring of the effectiveness to date of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations; the number of environmental impact statements which have been submitted to local authorities since the regulations were introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
67 Mr. G. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment if he has satisfied himself with the operation of the EC Directive on Environmental Impact Assessments; his views on whether the planning authorities have the necessary resources to evaluate environmental impact study submissions, which they receive as part of a planning application; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 67 together. I believe that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures established by the Regulations which implemented EC Directive 85/337/EEC are operating effectively. My Department have circulated extensive guidance notes to local authorities to facilitate the operation of the new procedures, as well as providing seminars for local authority staffs. The state of implementation of the new regulations will of course be kept under review.
While certain planning authorities would have the expertise necessary to evaluate environmental impact statements submitted to them, other authorities might have to avail of the services of consultants for this purpose.
More than 20 environmental impact statements have been submitted to planning authorities since the regulations implementing the directive came into operation in February, 1990.
