Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Why is this legislation important or why is it of particular benefit to small rural communities? Why will it benefit small towns and villages more than large cities and towns? The simple answer is that this legislation will empower the Environmental Protection Agency to issue on-the-spot fines for particular offences, such as polluting the air we breathe. The sale of bituminous or smoky coal is an offence in areas where it is prohibited. Its sale is a serious and ongoing problem. The particles emitted into the atmosphere from this coal are termed PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter. The emission of these particles has a significant health impact, which is why we ban the sale of this coal in large towns and cities. These particles can go deep into our lungs and cause serious, life-threatening illnesses. In Ireland, the main source of these particles is the domestic use of solid fuels and vehicular traffic.

The results of tests that were conducted on air quality throughout the country for 2013 show there has been a significant decrease in cities and large urban areas of this particulate matter. In other words, the air is better and purer than it was. However, this decrease is not evident in smaller towns, where domestic solid fuel emissions are more significant than traffic emissions. Many towns do not benefit from the health effects resulting from a ban on smoky coal and often do not have access to cleaner fuel alternatives such as natural gas.

Ireland has a significant target to reduce the level of these pollutants in our atmosphere. Achieving the target is a challenge and will require an integrated approach across a number of sectors, including transport and industrial emissions. The clear message on page 62 of the EPA report is that certain communities have a significant problem with air quality, in the context of WHO emission levels. This is not to say the air is unhealthy, but the standards or levels the WHO will apply to air quality here are exceeded in some of the smaller towns my colleagues on the opposite side of the House have mentioned. For once, therefore, Deputy McGrath has been talking through his hat, because air quality in rural Ireland is worse than it should be.

I welcome the Department's intention to consider an extension of the ban on bituminous coal to other parts of the country. It should be extended not only to some towns and villages but the island as a whole. The need to extend the ban on smoky coal, North and South, is unanswerable. The health impacts of a countrywide ban are clear. It would benefit the health of ordinary people. I note that the Department has commissioned a survey, North and South, of the impact of a countrywide ban. The most significant impact would be on people's health. There are, however, many issues that we will have to address if and when we do it, including fuel poverty. Non-bituminous coal can be more expensive initially, but we should be able to prevent a significant increase in cost to poorer people in society through the social welfare system. The imposition of a countrywide ban would result in a clamp-down on the sale, distribution and transport of smoky fuel.

I welcome the provision in the Bill which provides for on-the-spot fines for certain offences committed under the legislation. While a person could challenge a fine in court, doing so, in terms of solicitors' fees and so on, would be very expensive. In terms of Garda and court time and administration overheads, it is far simpler and much less expensive and makes sense to have an on-the-spot fine system. A person who believes he or she has been incorrectly issued with a fine can bring a case to the courts, in respect of which he or she will incur costs. It is important that we keep people out of court. An on-the-spot fine for an offence committed under the Bill - the offences are significant - makes sense.

My colleagues on the other side of the House are, again, wrong in that this legislation will not put legitimate businesspeople out of work; rather, it will ensure those who break the law by selling coal which does not meet the requirements under the Bill and will have a detrimental affect on the health of the persons who use it and the surrounding communities will be put out of business.

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