Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 May 1993

Vol. 431 No. 3

Written Answers. - UNCED Recommendations.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

137 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for the Environment if, in view of the Taoiseach's address to the recent conference organised by the Network of Irish Environment and Development Organisations, he will give the steps, if any, that have been taken arising from the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. M. Smith)

A full progress report on action already taken or in train to implement the conclusions of UNCED will be given in the second review of the Environment Action Programme, which I intend to publish in the near future.

Relevant measures developed by the Government in the past year include:

—a renewed commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to Protection and enhancement of the environment, and in particular, to building on and speeding up implementation of the national environment action programme;

—related to this, a two thirds increase in 1993 in the allocation for water and sanitary services, which is the largest and most urgent financial requirement of the environment action programme;

—progress on establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency which is designed to improve the organisation of environmental regulation and monitoring in Ireland;

—continued development of regulatory controls, including new regulations on water pollution, vehicle emissions and emissions from large combustion plants;

—continued improvement of information on the environment, including new regulations on access to information;

—completion of a preliminary national strategy, which I will publish shortly, for abatement of Irish CO2 emissions; and

—establishment of an Environment Policy Research Centre within ESRI to address economic aspects of environment policy.

In addition, the Programme for a Partnership Government provides that environment considerations will be integrated into the key sectoral areas identified in the EC Fifth Environment Action Programme: industry, transport, energy, tourism and agriculture. Following publication of the report of the Green 2000 Advisory Committee, which will assist in this process, the Taoiseach has asked me to establish an agenda for advancing environmental integration with other Ministers concerned and to report to Government later this year.

Finally, Ireland is supporting ongoing action within the European Community, particularly through the EC Fifth Environment Action Programme, to respond to those commitments of UNCED requiring international co-ordination.