Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have to be honest and balanced. I do not believe any Member here does not care about health. This regulation is built on a framework designed to protect human health. I agree with that. I accept that the supporting background to this directive is based on noise protective measures which have a benefit for health.

If that is correct, why are we not specifying that in a tighter format? That is all that is being asked for in these amendments. The Minister has said this has to be seen in tandem with EU Regulation No. 598/2014, the 2002 environmental noise directive and the European noise regulations implementing that directive, including the updated reference. If they are in place and the latter makes reference to the WHO findings, what is wrong with putting that in the legislation? I have not heard a reason for this.

The Minister did not answer the question I asked earlier. There is a belief among residents that his alternative to referencing health and the amendments he quoted to Deputy Troy are a tactic to delay the implementation of any updating of the environmental noise directive. By referencing SI 549/2018, the Minister is allowing a delay in the implementation of the updating of the directive, which would take account of the WHO findings. Will the Minister clarify this? Will he explain the legal impediments to our amendments? If there were, we would have heard the Attorney General has ruled them out of order, which he has not.

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