Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the case he won recently in the High Court, where the Information Commissioner and Ombudsman had ordered the release of a document containing information on a 2003 Cabinet discussion on greenhouse gas emissions. The Information Commissioner ordered the document released and the Taoiseach appealed that decision by the Information Commissioner to the High Court. I note the Taoiseach was successful in that appeal to the High Court.

The regime concerning access to information about environmental matters is governed by the Aarhus Convention, which was signed by Ireland in 1998 but never ratified. It has been a matter of concern, particularly to environmental organisations and people with an interest in the environment, that Ireland never ratified the Aarhus Convention. I am surprised that three years into the life of this Government the Aarhus Convention has not yet been ratified. In the revised programme for Government it is stated that the parties would ensure that Ireland can ratify the Aarhus Convention by March 2010, which has come and gone. When will Ireland ratify the Aarhus Convention?

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