Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree that it is a very serious issue. Air quality in Ireland compares favourably with more industrialised and urbanised countries but it is not without challenges. The Environmental Protection Agency's most recent annual air quality report was published in November 2018 and provides an assessment of air quality in Ireland in 2017. Values for all network sites were below the EU annual limit but exceeded the stricter World Health Organization guidelines for a number of pollutants at individual sites. I accept we have an issue that needs to be dealt with.

The EPA also reports that particulate matter from solid fuel burning remains the greatest threat to good air quality in Ireland, closely followed by nitrogen dioxide from transport emissions in urban areas. The report can be found on the EPA's website. It is a problem we are taking very seriously.

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