Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
411. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to implement the recommendations for the reform of planning made in the first report of the Just Transition Commissioner (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21491/20]
View answerI understand that the Question refers to the interim recommendation made in the first progress report of the Just Transition Commissioner, published 22 May 2020, in respect of planning and licensing regulation as apply to peat extraction, in particular the need to consider a fast-track ‘one-stop-shop’ arrangement for planning, licensing and regulatory compliance and the development of greater cohesion and coordination in this regard.
I acknowledge the complexity of the current dual system of planning regulation and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Pollution Licensing for large-scale commercial peat extraction, which primarily derive from adjustments made to ensure compliance with EU environmental legislation. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, with the assistance of my Department, is engaged in addressing these complexities, with the aim of streamlining the peat extraction consenting process, as recommended by the Government’s National Peatlands Strategy 2015 and informed by the Commissioner’s Report.
