Vol. 414 No. 4
154 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for the Environment if he will outline (1) the location of the meteorological stations which monitor acid rainfall (2) the results of such monitoring from January to October 1991 and (3) the affect acid rainfall is having on our environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
164 Mr. J. Bruton, Mr. J. Mitchell, Miss Flaherty, Mr. Connor and Mr. Carey asked the Minister for the Environment if he has commissioned any studies to identify parts of Ireland which are currently subject to damage from acid rain deposition.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 164 together.
Ireland is a contracting party to the EMEP Protocol to the UN ECE Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution. This protocol is concerned with the collection and evaluation of data on a range of atmospheric pollutants, including acid rain precursors, in the entire ECE region. Data collection is achieved through a network of strategically located sampling stations. The meteorological station at Valentia Island is a designated EMEP station, and a second EMEP station is at present being set up in the Wicklow Mountains.
In addition, the environmental research unit of my Department are involved in monitoring programmes, which include acid deposit monitoring, at locations covering the north, west, midlands and east of the country. Reports on aspects of this work have been included in the publication "Water Quality in Ireland — The Current Position" (An Foras Forbartha), a copy of which is in the Oireachtas Library. The environmental research unit will shortly be updating this publication and in addition will publish a detailed report entitled "Acid Sensitive Waters in Ireland".
The results of the various monitoring programmes do not indicate significant acid deposition in Ireland. Further ECE research in relation to critical loads for acid deposition confirms that acidification does not pose a significant threat to Ireland's environment at present.
It is nonetheless desirable to minimise acid deposition in Ireland and measures to be taken shortly will include accession to the Helsinki and Sofia Protocols to the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution and application of relevant EC directives on emissions from large combustion plant, vehicle emissions and fuel standards.
