Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I admire the Deputy's detailed knowledge of these matters. Regulation 4 of Statutory Instrument 118 of 1998 requires bags of fuel to be sealed. There is no compulsion to only sell in bags; it is aimed at coal. Peat is usually sold in briquettes. Peat and wood have a lower sulphur content than coal so peat, which typically has a sulphur content of 0.4%, and based on the Air Pollution Acts and their sulphur content, wood and peat are exempt from these regulations but they are apply to coal.

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