Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. I have a couple of questions. Do the witnesses see an expanded role for the EPA in the time ahead and a growth in the importance its work?

In that regard, does the EPA have any asks of the Government in respect of that expanded role, its budget, staffing, the staff mix and the projection into the future?

To what extent are inventories and projections self-declared? I ask because in my constituency, there is a concentration of waste industries. There is a sense from the local communities that licences are in place but there is a question regarding oversight and the level of scrutiny. What assurance can the EPA give to local communities located right beside the limited and very heavy industry we have for waste, incinerators, landfill and waste-to-energy plants? What level of oversight, scrutiny and accountability is in place in regard to adherence to the terms and conditions of licences? Are our guests satisfied that the EPA is sufficiently resourced in that regard for now and into the future? We appreciate that this will be a role of growing importance in light of our climate obligations.

A related point concerns the assessment of agriculture admissions. Notwithstanding the fact that every sector has to do its share of lifting, which is accepted by everybody, there is an argument from the agricultural sector that the equation is not being fully assessed and that the important work the sector does on sequestration and carbon sinks is not being appropriately assessed. What is the EPA's opinion on that? Is there a fair assessment with international comparisons at this time? When might there be a better assessment of the overall contribution of the sector?