Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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6. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider placing a pause on all wind energy developments until the new wind energy guidelines are published; when he expects the revised guidelines to be published and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52740/25]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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Communities have been waiting for many years for the publication of the revised wind farm guidelines. Will the Minister pause all wind farm developments until the guidelines are published? When will we see these guidelines published?

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I have no ability as Minister of State with responsibility for planning to place a pause on any type of planning application, be that for housing, wind energy, infrastructural projects or any other type of development. The 2006 wind energy development guidelines will remain in force pending the finalisation of revised guidance, which is currently subject to a focused review by my Department considering matters such as noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections.

In conjunction with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, my Department has been working to advance guidance on a number of these key aspects, including the noise aspect of the guidance, to ensure they are robust and fit for purpose, having regard to a series of considerations, including but not limited to our commitments to increase the percentage of our electricity that comes from renewable sources.

In the interim, at local level, the city and county development plans set out where development is acceptable, including wind energy development. I can assure the Deputy that I am acutely conscious of the commitment in the Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland's Future to prioritise the publication of the wind energy development guidance, having regard to international best practice and standards. In light of this commitment, my Department is working towards concluding the finalisation of a review of the guidance as a priority, having regard to the requirements for a public consultation and the finalisation of associated reforms and reviews included in the revision of the NPF.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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I am disappointed that more has not been done in terms of protecting the rights of communities. We are awaiting revised guidelines. The current guidelines give too much leeway to wind energy companies, which do not respect many communities. I commend everyone involved in the campaign relating to Mongan bog, which is a heritage site in my constituency of Offaly. This heritage site has links to the monastic site Clonmacnoise in County Offaly. A planned wind farm there is just ludicrous.

The Minister of State mentioned a focused review, which I welcome. He also mentioned infrasound and shadow flicker, in respect of which there are significant issues. Many people have contacted me telling me that they just cannot bear the sound. Court cases have been taken regarding those issues. I hope that the revised guidelines are not published for the sake of ticking a box but do address the genuine and legitimate concerns of communities and the infrasound issue.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I will not publish anything for the sake of ticking a box. I have been in this role for six or seven months. I want to ensure that we get these guidelines right, so I have been working extensively with my officials, who have been engaging with their colleagues in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. All of the matters raised by the Deputy are being taken into account in the review, which is ongoing. I am aware of the draft guidelines that were published in 2019 before my time in this House or this role. A considerable number of submissions concerned noise and the issue has taken up a significant amount of time in trying to ensure that we get that element right.

I am committed to ensuring that the guidelines are finalised and there is a public consultation on the draft guidelines when they are ready. That is a priority in the Department.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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I know the Minister of State mentioned public consultation but many people do not take that seriously because their experience of public consultations is that they have not been respected. Constituents from north Offaly where there are issues with sound have contacted me. They have to move livestock in their fields. These people feel they are not listened to. If we are talking about public consultation, the number one priority is that it has to be meaningful. The second thing is that we have to ensure that communities are respected and protected and that we do not have instances where this infrasound issue is allowed to go on and on, which, unfortunately, has happened.

I have raised the issue of wind energy repeatedly through parliamentary questions, most recently to the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment when I asked him whether he would provide information regarding reports on wind turbine noise. I also asked him to clarify his support for increased protection of persons affected by the noise. Rather astonishingly, the Minister admitted to me that the EPA had not commissioned any wind turbine modelling reports and that the only report the SEAI had published on the subject of wind turbine noise was an examination of the significance of noise. A lot more needs to be done on this issue.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I reiterate that it is a priority in my Department. My officials and I have been working on this for a considerable period of time. I want to ensure that we get these revised guidelines right. I take public consultation seriously. There was public consultation over the summer on exempted development and over 920 submissions were received. I have reviewed all of those so I take on board what has come in. It helps formulate policy. To get to a point of having a draft, we have to ensure that they are as accurate and complete as possible and this is what my officials have been working extensively on. I hope we will be in a position to publish those in the not-too-distant future but I want to get it right.