Vol. 492 No. 4
248 Ms Clune asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the steps, if any, he is taking to reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds, due to the use of organic solvents, by 50 per cent in the year 2010 as agreed recently in a proposed directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14207/98]
Ireland supports the proposed directive on the limitation of the emissions of volatile organic compounds due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations. Many of the activities involved are already subject to integrated pollution control (IPC) licensing by the environmental protection Agency under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 (No. 7 of 1992). The main requirements of the proposed directive are already addressed by the IPC licensing system and, in some cases, activities are licensable at thresholds which are lower than those in the proposed directive. I will introduce any new measures required to comply with this directive within the relevant timeframes.
249 Ms Clune asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the reason legal proceedings have been taken against Ireland by the European Commission for non-compliance with reporting requirements by the September 1996 deadline as required by directive 91/692/EEC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14208/98]
I assume the Deputy is referring to the recent statement by the Commission that it intends, acting under Article 169 of the Treaty, to send a letter of formal notice to eight member states including Ireland regarding reports due in accordance with directive 91/692 in relation to the implementation of EU legislation in the water sector. My Department has not yet received the letter of formal notice from the Commission.
Directive 91/962/EEC provides for the completion of standardised report forms in respect of 14 directives in the water area. Two of these directives 82/176/EEC and 78/176/EEC, deal respectively with discharges from the chloralkali electrolysis industry and the titanium dioxide industry. The Commission was informed that these industries do not operate in Ireland and accordingly would not be the subject of reports.
Reports are with the Commission in respect of nine other directives, while a further report conderning directive 79/923/EEC on the quality required of Shellfish waters is being finalised at present within the Department of Marine and Natural Resources, and will be supplied to the Commission shortly.
