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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 12 Nov 2003

Vol. 574 No. 2

Written Answers. - Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Mary Upton

Ceist:

316 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the protocol which is in place for the monitoring of chemical emissions from factories; the number of personnel engaged to carry out inspections of chemical emissions on a routine basis; the actions that are taken arising from breaches of the regulations; the prosecutions that have been applied in the past four years for such breaches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26888/03]

Mary Upton

Ceist:

317 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the codes of practice that have been drawn up to deal with the unexpected chemical emissions, airborne and otherwise, from manufacturing industries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26889/03]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 316 and 317 together.

Under the Environmental Protection Agency Acts 1992 and 2003, activities that have potential for significant environmental pollution are regulated by means of integrated licensing by the EPA. Responsibility for the regulation of industry within the framework of the legislation lies with the agency. The Minister is statutorily precluded from exercising any power or control on the performance, in particular circumstances, by the agency of a function assigned to it under the Act.

Accordingly, it is a matter for the agency to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place for compliance monitoring in respect of relevant activities. Enforcement of licence conditions and the allocation of resources, including personnel, to the tasks arising is also a matter for the agency. The recent establishment of the Office of Environmental Enforcement as a distinct and dedicated unit of the agency will bring an enhanced focus to licence enforcement generally.

As part of the agency's integrated licensing functions it publishes comprehensive annual reports, that include information on monitoring and inspection activities, prosecutions and other enforcement action and associated documentation. These documents are available in print form and on its website,www.epa.ie
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