Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A number of towns and cities, or parts thereof, have been designated as smokeless zones. This seemed to be working well initially. However, there has been a recent significant deterioration in air quality, as evidenced by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, monitoring stations. Those stations confirmed that there was widespread pollution between 16 and 30 November from the burning of non-smokeless fuels or smoky coal. One coal merchant told me that he is doing everything right. He is paying his taxes, including his carbon taxes and VAT, he is only selling the correct fuel in the right area, certified by the EPA, and he is employing several people. He is in danger of losing everything, however, because people are selling coal, which is not certified by the EPA, cheaper than he can buy it. That coal is being sold door-to-door at night from vans. I asked the local authority about enforcement, but I have been told it has not been given any additional resources to deal with this issue, and it is not able to do so. More needs to be done, therefore, if we are serious about climate change and climate action and about protecting businesses which are struggling to survive.

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