JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT debate -
Tuesday, 7 Oct 2008

Business of Joint Committee.

Vice Chairman (Deputy Pádraic McCormack)

Apologies have been received from the Chairman, Deputy Seán Fleming. I ask all members to ensure their mobile telephones are turned off and not to silent mode as they interfere with the recording.

The first item on the agenda is the minutes of the meeting of 23 September, which have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed. The next item is correspondence received by the joint committee and circulated since the last meeting. This includes the annual output statements deferred from the last meeting and e-mailed again on 30 September with the agenda. It also includes a letter seeking the views of the committee on the annual output statements with a list of the possible issues and questions for comment. Do members have any comments? We will defer that until the next day.

The next item is the autumn newsletter of Friends of Europe on environmental issues, which is noted. The next is correspondence from the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to Mayo County Council on its development plan and an offer from a member of his staff to brief the joint committee. The correspondence is in a large file enclosing drafts of the plan, consultations with the public, amendments, correspondence with the Minister, consideration of his submission and minutes of the council meetings and so on. It is too big to circulate.

Deputy Ciarán Lynch

I suggest we wait.

Vice Chairman

I suggest the files are too cumbersome to copy and circulate and that we should accept the offer of a briefing from the Department. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Phil Hogan

We have already agreed to meet Mayo County Council and make observations.

Vice Chairman

We will check the date on which it has been invited.

Deputy Phil Hogan

We made this decision three or four weeks ago and I am sure the clerk to the committee has been in touch.

Deputy Johnny Brady

We are looking for information.

Deputy Phil Hogan

We set up a meeting and I want to know when it is.

Vice Chairman

Deputy Hogan is correct. We have agreed to bring in Mayo Cuonty Council but first we must inform ourselves fully of the material in the file, which is extraordinarily large.

Deputy Phil Hogan

It is difficult to inform ourselves with weighty documents such as this. It would be better to get a verbal summary of the issues which are of concern. Have we set a date when Mayo County Council and the Department can come to see us?

Vice Chairman

No, we have not decided on a date. The Chairman suggested we listen to the two sides. This file is one side and Mayo County Council is on the other. I am in members' hands.

Deputy Phil Hogan

I propose we invite Mayo County Council and officials from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, as we have already agreed, but should do so separately to discuss concerns surrounding the development plan in Mayo. We should do so before the end of the month.

Deputy Ciarán Lynch

I support that because it makes absolute sense.

Vice Chairman

A suggested date is 4 November. Is that agreed? Agreed.

We will note the correspondence relating to scrutiny of EU proposals for legislation as it is for information only. The next item is an e-mail on 30 September concerning housing and building societies, which is noted. The next item is an EU Green Paper on climate change which is noted. A copy of the Journal of the Political Studies Association of Ireland is also noted. The next item is notification of a seminar on the role of local government in protecting water resources, and a programme for a conference to be held in Oughterard, County Galway from 9-12 October 2008.

Deputy Phil Hogan

This is a very important issue. Are we sending representatives to that conference or to the water summit, which is to be held in Croke Park this month?

Vice Chairman

We are free to send members if any are willing to attend.

Deputy Phil Hogan

I propose we do so. I propose Senators Coffey and Glynn.

Vice Chairman

Is it agreed that Senators Coffey and Glynn represent us at Oughterard? Agreed. We have not yet received an invitation to the Croke Park conference.

Senator Camillus Glynn

I propose the clerk goes as well.

Vice Chairman

Agreed. I may meet you there but in an unofficial capacity. The next item is a seminar on saving European water, which is noted. It is a programme for a one-day conference to be held in Brussels on 5 November 2008. Is anyone interested in attending?

Deputy James Bannon

I am interested.

Deputy Phil Hogan

How many may attend?

Vice Chairman

It is possible for others to attend.

Deputy Phil Hogan

I will also attend.

Deputy Johnny Brady

I am in Brussels on 4 November but I cannot stay overnight.

Vice Chairman

Is it agreed that Deputies Bannon and Hogan will attend? Agreed. The next item is on the regulation of dog breeding establishments. We will note the correspondence and refer it to the Minister for comment. Is that agreed? Agreed. The next item concerns waste water treatment systems. It is a request to make a presentation to the joint committee and was sent in by Deputy Hogan.

Deputy Phil Hogan

We have done very valuable work on domestic waste water systems in recent meetings with a view to devising a system that will work in the interest of the environment and to achieve consistency across local authorities. It is important we prepare a report on the work we have done so that we may make recommendations to the Department. Otherwise all the valuable presentations we have received will be useless. The people concerned are in the business and there is an umbrella organisation for the product, which we were told in a recent presentation, had been approved by the Irish Agrément Board. This group will be able to tell us what systems work in particular conditions. It would be interesting to hear what Mr. Kavanagh from bioCycle Ltd. and the umbrella organisation might have to tell the committee. As the Irish Agrément Board has listed 29 companies such as bioCycle that work in this industry and we cannot favour one company over another, perhaps we should invite a representative from each company.

Deputy Phil Hogan

They have an umbrella organisation and it would up to them to decide who would come before the committee.

Vice Chairman

Is it agreed that we invite the umbrella organisation to come before the joint committee? Agreed.

We will note the correspondence and reply to a letter sent to the joint committee regarding the over-supply of newspapers to retailers and the impact of their disposal. Apropos of that I have in my office — and I only started to save them since this session began — a box full of hardback and softback books that I will never read or look at. The waste of paper in this office is unbelievable. I am getting correspondence at home and at my office in Leinster House. Members do not have time to look at the material. It is a waste of resources.

Deputy Phil Hogan

Members will know that shopkeepers and newsagents are getting newspapers that include all sorts of paraphernalia which they do not ask for. They are being supplied with greater numbers of newspapers than they request and are then obliged to pay for the disposal of same. Mr. O'Reilly does not dispose of them, he gets the shopkeepers to do it for him. This is an issue that falls under recycling or waste product.

Deputy Johnny Brady

All the literature circulated in newspapers which falls out or is thrown away is causing a serious problem.

Deputy Phil Hogan

It is costing shopkeepers a fortune to dispose of this waste. Could we invite retailers to the joint committee to discuss this issue?

Vice Chairman

This was raised by Senator Coffey at the last committee meeting. We could invite the National Newspapers of Ireland as it replied to our letter.

Deputy Phil Hogan

We could also include representatives from RGDATA.

Vice Chairman

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Johnny Brady

I am sure the newspapers have been well paid for circulating these advertisements and documents.

Deputy James Bannon

We receive a significant number of publications, in both Irish and English. We should be able to request the language of choice for the publications that are circulated.

Vice Chairman

Is it a decision of the joint committee to invite representatives from the National Newspaper of Ireland and RGDATA ? Is that agreed? Agreed.

On the issue of housing adaptation grants and follow up letters from Mr. Nugent's presentation to us on 23 September, we should note the correspondence. We requested a research paper on the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008 and note the correspondence. We will note the correspondence on the European Water Newsletter No. 22 of 2008.

We have had a request from a campaign alliance to make a presentation on the national homelessness strategy. This was submitted by Make Room, a campaign alliance for Simon, Threshold, SVP and Focus Ireland.

Deputy James Bannon

Deputy Hogan proposed that we bring in three bodies.

Vice Chairman

We agreed at our meeting on 9 September to invite Simon and Focus Ireland. We could now invite the alliance of agencies. It is proposed to invite them to come before the joint committee on 18 November 2008. Is that agreed? Agreed. We note the September edition of the newsletter Homelessness. That concludes the correspondence.

A number of circulars and statutory instruments have also been copied to us as requested which we note. A draft report has been circulated on the visit of the delegation from the joint committee to Ballyconneely, County Galway, for an energy efficiency training seminar. Our thanks to Senator Glynn and Deputy McCormack for representing the joint committee. It was agreed to approve the draft report and have it laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. Is that agreed? Agreed.