Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. Clean air is fundamental to our well-being and quality of life and is essential for the health of the environment on which we depend. People have no choice about the air they breathe. We have an important role in developing the policies that will deliver clean air, hence the high priority given to improving Ireland’s air quality in the current programme for Government.

Our choices in how we heat our homes and move around our neighbourhoods have the greatest impact on the air we and our communities breathe. This empowers us all to make positive changes that will give us immediate health benefits. The most recent EPA report again shows that while our overall air quality is generally good, there remains a number of localised issues of concern. Official assessment of Ireland’s air quality against these limits and guidelines is conducted using data from the national ambient air quality monitoring programme, AAMP, which is funded by this Department and operated and maintained by the EPA. Monitoring air pollution is essential to help us better understand where issues are arising so that we may ensure national measures are in place to deliver air pollution reductions and also look to target policy measures to those areas with specific issues.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has provided funding for a significant upgrade to the monitoring network in recent years. The number of monitoring stations has increased from 29 to 111 since 2017 and will reach 116 in the coming months, which is well above EU requirements of 30 stations. Additional stations are not required for the national network as we are now moving to a modelling and forecasting system through the Life Emerald project. This will allow us to use the information from our monitoring network to provide near-real-time mapping of air pollutants throughout the country which will fill in the gaps between monitoring stations and provide a national three-day air quality forecast. The project will improve Ireland’s ambient air quality management capabilities and develop a system that will provide better information to the public.

It is essential that we use the data from our official national monitoring network to focus on implementation and enforcement of the policy measures introduced to achieve air pollution reductions. The Deputy mentioned nitrogen dioxide. Ireland recorded an exceedance for nitrogen dioxide in 2019 at the St. John’s Road West monitoring station in Dublin 8 when emissions were just above the annual limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre. In response to this, the urban transport-related air pollution, UTRAP, working group was established and the four Dublin local authorities came together to develop an air quality management plan for the area. That group has acted as a valuable forum for engagement and co-operation between the key urban transport and air quality stakeholders. It has enhanced awareness among stakeholders of clean air legislation and has facilitated increased co-ordination and coherence between the policies, plans and strategies developed by each of the members concerning air pollution control. Since 2019, no official exceedance of the EU limits has been observed.

However, our ambition to move to the WHO guidelines levels means newer targets will be extremely difficult to achieve so long as petrol- and diesel-fuelled vehicles remain in widespread use, particularly in urban areas.

In April this year, the Department published the clean air strategy the Deputy mentioned. This will provide an overarching policy framework within which clean air policies can be formulated and given effect in a manner consistent with national, EU and international policy considerations and priorities.

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