Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The answer to Deputy Adams's second question is that there has been a great deal of comment about the electromagnetic fields emanating from transmission grid infrastructure. That is the reason the Minister for Health wrote to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, about an underground cable carrying the interconnector coming from Britain through the main street of Rush and close to houses. There has been a great deal of comment about this matter.

Responsibility for non-ionising radiation lies with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Legislation for the merger of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and the Environmental Protection Agency is on the legislative A list for this session. The Minister will consider what statutory functions, expertise and resources are required to assign operational responsibility for non-ionising radiation matters to the merged agency. In the meantime, the expertise that may be required or demanded in respect of electromagnetic fields or non-ionising radiation will be provided by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. I am certain that if expertise in this matter is required by the eminent retired Supreme Court Justice and the commission, it will be readily forthcoming.

The Minister's response yesterday was in respect of two proposals by EirGrid to improve the infrastructure of the national grid; the Grid Link proposal from Bellacorick to Flagford and the proposed connection north from south-east Cork. This is part of the programme of work to which the Minister referred in his television appearance yesterday. The larger programme of work already includes the North-South interconnector which has been advancing for the past eight years to a point where a planning application is imminent. As the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte pointed out, he would be the first to say that the public would be very reassured if they could see that the same comparators are used for analysis of underground versus over ground options and if all the facts are presented. He is meeting the chairperson on Friday with a view to discussing this matter. I hope the extension of the remit to include the same kind of analysis can be applied to the North-South interconnector.

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