Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 June 2014
375. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the laws currently in place to ensure that neighbourhood noise is kept to a reasonably low level; the current laws that apply requiring households to respect their neighbours' right to peace and quiet, especially during the night hours; the levels of enforcement, if any, that exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26794/14]
View answerSection 107 of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act 1992 provides local authorities with powers to require measures to be taken to prevent or limit noise from any premises, processes and works. The Environment Section of the relevant City or County Council is the appropriate contact point for reporting a noise nuisance in this regard. In addition, under section 108 of the EPA Act, where any noise is so loud, so continuous, so repeated, of such duration or pitch or occurring at such times as to give reasonable cause for annoyance, then it is open to any person, or group of persons, to bring a complaint to the District Court. The Court may order the person or body making, causing or responsible for the noise to take the measures necessary to reduce the noise to a specified level or to take specified measures for the prevention or limitation of the noise and the person or body concerned must comply with that order.
The procedures involved have been simplified to allow action to be taken without legal representation. A public information leaflet, outlining the legal avenues available to persons experiencing noise nuisance is available to download from my Department’s website at the following address: www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Noise/
. The Court may take into account whether the person alleged to have caused a noise nuisance took all reasonable care to prevent or limit the noise by using facilities, practices and methods of operation that are suitable for that purpose.
