Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 November 2018
188. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the awarding by the Environmental Protection Agency of an integrated pollution prevention licence to operators; the exact methodology used to calculate the cost of the licence to be paid by the operator annually; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49905/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established by the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 as an independent body whose primary function is to monitor the quality of our environment and to ensure compliance with environmental protection legislation. This includes issuing specified licences under the principal Act and also under the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended. The EPA charges licensed facilities in proportion to the risk their activity poses to the environment, and for the enforcement effort in monitoring and determining compliance. The EPA has published a "Licensing and Enforcement Charging Policy" on its website. The policy encompasses both licensing application fees (including related fees such as objection/oral hearing, etc.) and annual licence enforcement charges. The policy document sets out:
- Enforcement charge setting principles
- What enforcement charges do, and do not, fund within the EPA's activities
- Corporate governance and accountability
- How enforcement charges are calculated
The EPA enforcement charges are determined by the EPA using the following six principles which are outlined in the charging policy:
- The "polluter pays" principle
- Risk-based charging
- Burden sharing
- Ring-fencing of costs
- Appropriate cost recovery
- Balance
The full methodology for the calculation of the annual enforcement charge is set out in section 4 of the aforementioned "Licensing and Enforcement Charging Policy" which is available on the Agency’s website at:
https://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/enforcement/EPA%20Licensing%20&%20Enforcement%20Charging%20Policy.pdf.
The policy also sets out the arrangements in place should a licencee form the view that the enforcement charge set by the EPA is incorrect or unreasonable.
