Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
147. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42716/23]
View answerEach year, an estimated 1,410 people die prematurely in Ireland due to air pollution and the majority, as a result of particulate matter from solid fuel burning. It is further estimated that there are over 16,200 life years lost, while many people also experience a poor quality of life due to the associated short-term and long-term health impacts of this form of pollution. I remain committed to addressing this critical public health and environmental challenge through a suite of measures as outlined in Ireland’s Clean Air Strategy and through the implementation of enhanced regulation of all solid fuels.
My Department has engaged extensively with the solid fuel industry, and with retailers, and retailer representative bodies, and is aware of their concerns, including the supply of non-approved and non-tax compliant fuel from outside this jurisdiction.
Local Authorities are the enforcement agents for the solid fuel regulations and my Department continues to engage extensively with the sector to support their enforcement efforts. Guidance and training have been provided and a number of workshops held to support the sharing of best practice. I have also provided grant funding of over €600,000 to support enforcement efforts on the ground including a solid fuels sampling programme and an online sales pilot project.
Tax evasion, with respect to both Carbon Tax and VAT can distort the market irrespective of the type of fuel type being sold as these taxes apply to both low smoke and smoky coal products. Any concerns or information regarding tax evasion should be reported directly to Revenue. Details on how to report such activity can be found at revenue.ie/en/corporate/assist-us/reporting-shadow-economy-activity/index.aspx.
