John Gormley
Ceist:257 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the resources, if any, which are provided by his Department for the production by local authorities of air quality management plans. [20191/97]
Written Answers. - Air Quality.
John Gormley
Ceist:271 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the serious air pollution problem in Dublin; and his views on whether the £20,000 his Department is giving to the city's air quality management plan is totally inadequate. [20302/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 and 271 together.
Local authority income is obtained from a number of sources including Government grants, commercial rates, motor taxation and fees and charges for goods and services. It is a matter for each local authority, in the context of the preparation of its annual estimates, to determine its own spending priorities within the constraints of its available income.
Funding is not made available by my Department for the preparation of air quality management plans by local authorities. However, as an exceptional measure, my Department contributed £20,000 in 1996 towards an air quality management plan for the greater Dublin area. This is estimated to cost in the region of £120,000 overall. The balance is being provided by the four Dublin local authorities directly concerned and in that context I consider my Department's contribution to be adequate.
All mandatory national and EU ambient air quality standards were complied with in Dublin in 1996 and overall air quality is good. However, in view of new EU proposals to revise certain of these standards and to introduce standards for additional pollutants, and of increasing traffic pressures, the preparation of the air quality management plan for Dublin is timely.