I know the feeling. We have extra copies of the letter and will pass them on before the end of the meeting.
The next item relates to Friends of Europe and is a report on the policy summit attended by Deputies Bannon and Hogan on 5 November 2008. Is it agreed that we note this? Agreed.
The next item is an invitation to the economic summit in Munich on 28 and 29 May 2009. It is being hosted by the BMW Stiftung & CESifo Group and it relates to climate and energy; rights, goals and wrong approaches. I propose we pass on this invitation to the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security.
The next item is a letter from the Irish Direct Marketing Association seeking to make a presentation relating to our report on the register of electors. Strictly speaking this is a matter for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Do members wish to see a presentation from the Irish Direct Marketing Association following on from our report? The association takes a different view and seeks to use the electoral register for direct marketing and other purposes. This would be of benefit to members of the Irish Direct Marketing Association. Should we get involved in this? I suggest we thank the association and forward the matter to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is responsible for the electoral register. We conducted a report on the electoral register but its commercial use is not our bailiwick.
The next item is a circular from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on landfill levies for local authorities and it relates to SI 199 and Circular 1.09. We will note this. At the last meeting a member asked for a briefing on this matter and a letter arrived this afternoon, too late for inclusion, from the waste policy review and regulation section. We wrote to the Secretary General and it has been confirmed that Eunomia Research and Consulting and its partners are undertaking the study to review waste management policy, which was provided for in the programme for Government. The study is well advanced and is scheduled to conclude this summer. A briefing can be arranged for the committee when the study is completed. Is it agreed to take the briefing when the report is ready? Agreed.
No. 361 is a referral notice from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. As we predicted at the meeting on 10 February, both Houses have referred the planning and development regulations to this committee. This matter relates to the linking of regional planning guidelines with county and city development plans and we note it. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, will attend the committee meeting next week to discuss this.
The next item is a press release from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the home choice loan scheme and the social housing investment programme. We will note this correspondence.
No. 363 concerns the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. Howard McConnell, of McConnell's Coatings Limited, has complained about the management and running of the EPA in regard to the company's dealings with the agency. As representatives of the EPA are here today we can provide them with a copy of this, if they have not had advance notice of the correspondence. I do not expect the delegates to be able to address this matter today but they can come back to us. It is merely a coincidence that they are here today.
We will note the next item, a newsletter entitled GLOBE.
The next item is from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and relates to spending limits at local elections. I presume this will come before us by way of legislation as the spending limits at local elections were announced.