Vol. 560 No. 3
121 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on the proposal to replace environmental impact assessments with environmental health impact assessments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2382/03]
A draft national environmental health action plan was circulated by the Department of Health and Children to my Department for comment in October last. Among the wide range of issues raised was a concern to ensure that health issues are given due consideration in the context of environmental impact assessment and a suggestion that the system could become a system of environmental health impact assessment. Health issues are, however, already a feature of environmental impact assessment and I am satisfied that such issues can be adequately addressed within the existing statutory framework.
Apart from those requirements, article 28 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 provides that the relevant health board must be consulted in respect of any planning application for development where it appears to the planning authority that the proposed development might have significant impacts on public health. In recent discussions between officials of my Department and the Department of Health and Children, it was agreed that the effective operation of these provisions is the key issue.
