JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT, CULTURE AND THE GAELTACHT díospóireacht -
Thursday, 24 May 2012

Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals

Chairman

On the issue of EU scrutiny, COM (2012) 28 concerns a Council decision on the signature on behalf of the EU, and provisional application of the agreement on certain aspects of air services between the European Union and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

It is proposed that this proposal does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.

COM (2012)29 concerns a Council decision on the conclusion of the agreement on certain aspects of air services between the European Union and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. I propose that the proposal does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.

COM(2012)136 is a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators as regards the placing on the market of portable batteries and accumulators containing cadmium intended for use in cordless powered tools. It is proposed that the proposal does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I wish to follow on from an earlier regulation, COM (2011) 827, when a number of queries were expressed, one of them by Deputy Kevin Humphreys. Members may recall that the committee agreed to write to the Secretary General, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on COM (2011)827, a proposal for the regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of common rules for the allocation of slots at EU airports. Does Deputy Humphreys wish to comment on the correspondence that the committee received from the Department?

Deputy Kevin Humphreys

Yes. I want absolute clarity that this COM does not affect the 23 slots at Heathrow Airport. Having read the letter again I do not think it clarifies the position.

Chairman

Does the Deputy wish the committee to engage again with the official seeking clarity on that specific question?

Deputy Kevin Humphreys

Yes, on my specific question on the 23 slots and nothing else. I want to know that the COM will not have a detrimental impact in terms of the use of the airport.

Chairman

Do other members wish to comment on it?

Senator Cáit Keane

The Deputy made an important point. If we proceed with our eyes closed we will ask ourselves why we did not see it later. We were supposed to receive an e-mail containing the report of the Local Government Audit Service because the original e-mail stated that the report was too large for e-mail format. Ms Mary O'Keeffe from the Local Government Audit Service report sent the e-mail and stated that they would come to the committee in the future. We were also told that it would be forwarded in another e-mail but was did not.

Chairman

I shall ask the clerk to follow that up. Was the attachment too big?

Senator Cáit Keane

No. We got all of that we had asked for and we are grateful for it. Somebody, and it may have been the clerk or whoever, said that the Local Government Audit Service report would be sent to the committee. We were told that we would get it in a follow-up e-mail but we never did.

Does the Senator want us to follow it up and see where it is?

Senator Cáit Keane

Yes.

Chairman

Perhaps there was an error in communications but the clerk will follow it up and forward it to the Senator and other Members.

There is one other item of correspondence, under the COMs, a letter from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on COM (2011) 451. Is it agreed that we note the correspondence? Agreed. Are there any further comments? No.

Deputy Kevin Humphreys

Dr. Michelle Norris, from the Housing Finance Agency, recently attended a meeting here. She is one of few people who gave us a comprehensive response to our queries and that should be noted. Her response was part of our correspondence under any other business. Her document is one of the best that we have received because she took the time to respond to each one of the points that we made.

Chairman

As Chairman, and on the committee's recommendation, I will write to her to thank her for her detailed response and to state that we look forward to engaging with her again.

The joint committee adjourned at 10.35 a.m. until 2.15 p.m. on Tuesday, 5 June 2012.