Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On Committee Stage, we were all in agreement that the impact on health of noise is a very important element of effective noise assessment and noise regulation. To fully understand what will be required of the noise regulator, this Bill must be read along with the 2002 environmental noise directive and the environmental noise regulations implementing that directive. The noise regulator will be required to ensure that any noise assessment is in line with that legislation, which makes specific reference to the impact on human health.

My reservations about the Opposition amendments put forward in respect of health are not on grounds of principle but simply on grounds of legal drafting in respect of what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do when giving effect to EU regulations. For that reason, regretfully, I will not be accepting amendments Nos. 47, 48, 53 and 60. Interested Deputies have been talking to my officials about what is possible here. My officials listened to Deputies on this one and they and I agree that the absence of any specific reference to health does look like we might be ignoring the issue entirely.

11 o’clock

I am therefore tabling amendments Nos. 59, 78 and 79. In doing so, I wish to make it clear that I considered the issue of how best to include these health references, and indeed where in the Bill such references would have most meaning. Options included seeking to have references made in the interpretation section of the Bill, as suggested by Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

See this speech in context