JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT debate -
Tuesday, 21 Oct 2008

Vol. 664 No. 5

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

The first item is the minutes of the meeting of 7 October which have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed.

The next item is correspondence. No. 221-2008 is a letter seeking the views of the joint committee on the annual output statements, with a list of possible questions and items for comment. The letter, which we have deferred on a couple of occasions, is from Deputy Michael Ahern, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service and has been issued to all committees for their views on how we may engage in a more meaningful discussion on the annual output statements of Departments.

Deputy Phil Hogan

It is a good idea to have a more meaningful discussion on the annual output statements but it would also be nice to have an input. The process by which we scrutinise expenditure requires a lot of discussion, as the Chairman knows from his former role in the Committee of Public Accounts. I suggest we make it a special item for discussion at a future meeting, before the Estimates come in from the Minister.

Chairman

We will list it as a special agenda item. That is a good suggestion.

The next item is No. 245, a letter from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding the transfer of Moy Harbour, Ballina, to Mayo County Council. Such transfers are taking place in a number of counties and the correspondence is noted.

The next item is No. 246, a newsletter from the Oireachtas Library, which is also noted. The next item is a newsletter from GLOBE, an organisation for environmental policy, which is also noted.

No. 248 is a referral order from the Oireachtas Journal Office relating to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008 which has been referred to us. We will liaise with the Minister's office on a date for Committee Stage.

No. 249 is a list of proposals from the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny. As there are no requests relating to this committee, we will just note it.

No. 250 is an invitation from the Oireachtas interparliamentary party unit to attend the international water conference in Strasbourg on Thursday, 6 November. I notice Deputies Bannon and Hogan are attending another conference in Brussels on the day before. Is any member interested in attending?

Deputy Phil Hogan

We had better come home on the Wednesday.

Chairman

If any member is interested, he or she should contact the clerk to the committee.

Deputy Johnny Brady

I have learned from my experience on the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that unless Deputies from both sides attend a conference, it is very difficult to secure pairing arrangements. We have to work on the basis that there must be one member from the Government side for each selected from the Opposition.

Chairman

We will have to work on a cross-party basis. If one from each side is interested, he or she should contact the clerk.

No. 251 is a research paper from the Oireachtas Library on performance budgeting which I suggest we note. The next item is a consultation paper on energy efficiency and the performance of lightbulbs from Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Does anybody wish to cast light on the issue? We will note it.

The next item is a document from the Environmental Protection Agency inviting members of the committee to attend a lecture at the Mansion House today, Tuesday, 21 October.

Deputy Phil Hogan

Rather than a lecture we could have another submission from the EPA because it published a very important report recently on its various areas of responsibility. There were some startling revelations relating to difficulties we must tease out if we are to see where we are going regarding water, waste and other issues highlighted in the report. Perhaps we should host a delegation from the EPA in the next month to discuss the report.

Chairman

Representatives of the EPA were here earlier in the summer.

Deputy Phil Hogan

That report will form the basis of much policy for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government over the next year.

Chairman

We will follow up on that report. Did it have a specific name?

Deputy Phil Hogan

It was an annual report of some description. I have a copy of it in my office and will discuss it with the clerk.

Chairman

We will do that with a view to inviting the EPA before the committee and will agree a date.

The next item is the autumn newsletter of the Combat Poverty Agency, which I suggest we note. The following circulars were also copied for us, on request, and we note them: WPPR document 06/08 on tracking hazardous waste movements and PD 06/08, a letter advising planning authorities of the European Court of Justice ruling on the retention of planning permission. If individual members wish to respond and make their views known on the document on the European Court of Justice ruling on the retention of planning permission where environmental impact assessments are required, they may read it and do so.

A draft report has been circulated on the visit by a delegation from the joint committee to Oughterard, County Galway, for a seminar on the role of local government in protecting our water sources. Our thanks to Senator Glynn for representing the committee there. Is it agreed that the draft report, presented by Senator Glynn, be laid before the House on behalf of the committee? Agreed.

The next item on the agenda is the issue of the development of media coverage of Oireachtas committees and the Oireachtas broadcasting unit has been asked to defer this until another date.

Deputy Phil Hogan

Regarding the correspondence, very valuable work is being done in our discussions on waste water treatment systems. Have we made progress in inviting the umbrella organisations and their representatives? Will they be here in November?

Chairman

We have made contact with the gentleman who wrote to us. He is part of the umbrella group and he said he will talk to his colleagues with a view to them coming before the committee. I made it clear that I do not want a single private company coming here for a platform; I am happy with the umbrella group.

Deputy Phil Hogan

I agree and support the Chairman in that regard.

Chairman

They must come back to us. We should do a short report at the end because many issues have been raised, including planning, water quality and septic tanks. We have covered five or six aspects of this important topic, which affects many people. We will make a report when everything is finished.

The next item is the resolution of disputes arising from local government contracts.