Vol. 432 No. 7
63 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for the Environment the consultative procedures which exist to co-ordinate the activities of his Department with the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
There is regular contact on matters of mutual interest between my Department and the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications. Energy policy and environment policy are deeply linked, and good practical co-ordination between Departments has developed in response to this connection; this has been particularly assisted by the designation of an Environmental section in the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications. The recently published Climate Change CO 2 Abatement Strategy was prepared by the Department of the Environment in co-operation with the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications, and both Departments are to undertake a joint public awareness campaign relating to climate change. In the transport area, there are a number of arrangements for co-ordination of the activities of both Departments. These include: the monitoring committee for the operational programme on peripherality which oversees the implementation of roads and other transport investments assisted by the EC Structural Funds; the Dublin Transporation Initiative which is preparing an integrated transport strategy for the greater Dublin area; the Dublin Transportation Task Force which oversees traffic management in Dublin.
