Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I am not convinced consumers' rights are being considered and am sure the Competition Authority will have something to say about it when it has had full sight of the regulations.

Peat must be acknowledged as a finite resource. The principle behind environmental impact assessment is to consider where there will be an impact on the environment. It makes sense to regulate peat extraction as we cannot continue with a slash and burn approach to finite resources. We must look carefully at saving such resources, especially in the context of the purchase by the Dutch and other governments of bogland for the Irish Government to hold in trust. It is indicative of their lack of confidence that the Government is doing enough on the issue. I am worried by the exemption of one of the largest peat extracting interests in the country, over which there is a significant question mark.

I cannot understand why the Minister is only partially incorporating the Aarhus directive in the regulation. Why is there a delay in incorporation in the context of provision for the right to challenge in a court of law public decisions which have been made without respect for environmental law? As such provisions are seminal to proper planning and development in the State, I am at a loss to understand why the Minister has failed to transpose the directive wholly and completely. My guess is that it is an example of a Government policy to make it more difficult for the public voice to be heard. The Government first charged members of the public €20 to make a planning submission, then prevented them from appealing a decision unless they had made a submission in the first instance and is now about to embark on a course of action which will deny individuals to make appeals by removing the opportunity for a second bite of the cherry. Such provisions do not serve the public interest.

Given the Minister's pride in being a good European, I cannot understand why he pleads as his reason for introducing the regulation the probability of a daily fine by the EU. Fear of fines is not a good reason for the introduction of regulations.

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