Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

One of the problems we have had in several areas is the failure to implement EU environmental directives properly and proactively. Ireland has been caught out significantly for that, with Derrybrien being the obvious example. Ireland is paying €15,000 a day in fines as a result of that. I suspect we will find ourselves in serious trouble over the Donegal landslide. There is a difference between doing our best not to breach a directive and proactively trying to implement it. Many of these directives are very proactive. They are trying to achieve positive objectives rather than just limit damage. We think the wording we have proposed is better in that it states that we wish to pursue proactively the objectives of these directives rather than just limit potential damage. Damage limitation is not the right basis on which to pursue environmental objectives.