Vol. 456 No. 1
77 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider putting in place an environmental impact assessment scheme for all major tourism development in Ireland to guarantee that the natural environment is protected as well as our native identity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8871/95]
Categories of tourism development are already subject to environmental impact assessment. These are set out in the First Schedule to the European Communities (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations, 1989. They include the development of marinas, holiday villages — including caravan parks — and hotel complexes, where the size of the development is above the relevant threshold prescribed in the regulations.
The current EU Directive dealing with environmental impact assessment is being reviewed at present and the environmental assessment of tourism developments is one of the issues that is being examined in the context of the review. Any amendments to the Directive arising out of the review will be transposed into Irish law. I should point out, of course, that tourism development, as a general rule, is subject to the normal planning permission requirements; in dealing with applications relating to such development, the planning authority is obliged to have regard to the proper planning and development of the area and, in effect, to take environmental issues into account.
