Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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4. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if it will be ensured that the revised wind energy development guidelines will prioritise community consultation and address householder concerns about noise and flicker levels; when he expects the revised guidelines to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55282/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I am returning to Priority Question No. 4, in the name of Carol Nolan.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat. Tá brón orm mar bhí mé píosa meascaithe suas.

I wish to raise the issue of the revised wind farm guidelines. We need to make sure that communities’ rights are respected and upheld, and also that there is balance in representing the rights of communities. It should not be all one-way traffic. The revised guidelines have been promised for years, but we do need to prioritise community consultation and address householder concerns on noise and flicker levels. When will the guidelines be published? Could the Minister of State give me a specific timeline because the matter has been kicked down the road for too long?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing several key aspects, including noise, setback, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividends and grid connections.

Guidance on the noise aspect is currently being finalised by my Department in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, which has primary responsibility for environmental noise matters. Significant work has been undertaken on the noise elements and the two Departments recently met to discuss new developments in this regard, including consideration of the impact of the revised 2030 target to generate up to 80% of our electricity from renewable sources and the need to ensure proposals regarding the measurement and assessment of noise from wind turbines are fit for purpose. These aspects are currently being considered by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and further engagement between the Departments is expected imminently. Following this interdepartmental engagement, I will be in a better position to provide an update on the expected publication date of the revised guidelines, the finalisation of which remains a priority for the Department.

It should also be noted that the review and finalisation of the guidelines have been included as a specific action in the recently published Climate Action Plan.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. When will the interdepartmental engagement come to an end? Have we a timeframe and timeline? For years we have been waiting for revised guidelines to address the concerns of communities that have legitimate fears over noise and shadow flicker. There is great concern. In Lemanaghan, County Offaly, which is in my constituency and where there is a proposal for a wind farm, there have been 2,300 submissions from residents. It is just one small area but it indicates the extent of the issue. We need to ensure, as legislators, that there is balance and fairness and that the rights of all communities are upheld. The respectful and right thing to do is to give people a timeline and a guideline, in addition to a date as to when the guidelines will be published, rather than an indefinite answer to the effect that publication will be whenever engagement finishes or otherwise. Let us give the people some certainty and a date.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Nolan for her supplementary question. In the first instance, I would love to give an exact date, but unfortunately I cannot because I do not have one. The Deputy referred to public consultation. There were 500 submissions in the round of public consultation to bring about the draft guidelines. Some are very technical in respect of noise and they are being assessed on a bilateral basis with the Department of the Environment, Climate Action and Communications.

With regard to publishing the finalised version, if there is a significant revision of the guidelines, another strategic environmental assessment may be required. That is a distinct possibility. We are engaging proactively to try to resolve this. It is very technical. I, being from a rural community, know exactly what the Deputy referred to because it has been a significant issue in my county also. We need to strike a fair balance for residents and ensure, on the other hand, that we can meet our renewable energy targets.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. I would appreciate it if he could come back with a direct and definite answer on the interdepartmental engagement. The Minister of State mentioned that step in the process. I would like to know when it will finish so I can inform my constituents what is happening and give them some idea of the position on both the process and dates. The affected communities are experiencing genuine difficulty at pre-planning stage, on which stage the objections of local communities are routinely ignored. There seems to be a charade of compliance and meaningful consultation but, really and truly, communities are not falling for this. They need certainty and definite and strong protections.

Wind energy developers say they have been committed to implementing the current code of practice, which emphasises full and transparent engagement with local communities. This, however, is not the experience of many communities, which feel powerless in the face of the commercial power of the companies. Therefore, there has to be an urgent approach to producing the draft guidelines. What has been happening has been going on for years, and it must not go on any longer.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I am absolutely aware of the urgency. The position was the same when I entered the Department. I have brought a sense of urgency to this matter also but, unfortunately, it is beyond our control. I say that genuinely because, in addition to there being another Department involved, there is the difficulty that we may require another strategic environmental assessment given the technicality of the noise measurements. That is going to take a significant period if it is required. As soon as I have an update – it was only last week that we had a meeting about this in the Department – I will revert to the Deputy in writing. I understand her concerns, however. They are genuine. I hear about them in my community also.