Results 5,941-5,960 of 34,585 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: -----together with the costs. I think the EPA would get refunded for its administration of that.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Ms Burke might send a detailed note on the emissions trading unit and the level of activity and fines that might have gone through there. I have one or two other minor issues. I saw somewhere in the note that the EPA has a role in strategic environment assessments on major developments.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: What is that role? What is a major development?

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: These are not detailed planning applications.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is at a policy level.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: When Ms Burke referred to "major development" I wondered if there was a certain category of strategic infrastructure that the EPA would examine.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: A waste licence.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is primarily the waste licences. The EPA has to license a facility in terms of planning permission. I ask Ms Burke to send us a note on that because I used get confused as to whether the applicant can apply for the licence or the planning permission first. Some use it one way and others use it another way. Ms Burke might send us a note on the current position on those licensed...

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Regarding EU fines, Ms Burke said there is always the potential for those and that there are such cases. Has Ireland been hit with any European Union fines? Have we had to pay any to date for environmental reasons?

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: I ask the personnel from the Department to send us a note on fines that we have paid in terms of the environment since we joined the EU.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: I am only talking about within the remit of Ms Byrne's Department. I am not talking about the whole of Government.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Yes, and for environmental purposes. We often say, and I believe it is counterproductive, that the big, bad EU will fine us if we do not behave ourselves. That type of approach is damaging, and it is a bluff. I do not believe these fines are ever imposed. We continue to threaten the people who no longer listen to those threats. I want to get some clarity on that. The witness said fines...

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is a bit late. I think the deadline for nominations was last Monday.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: It is.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Ms Burke's approach is far more positive. We should be taking these measures because it is good for us. Even if we were never told this, we should be doing that. To stray somewhat from the discussion, it is like some Tidy Towns committees saying they have to do up their towns for the tourists. I say they should do them up to make them nice to live in and the tourists will like them too...

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: With whatever is available or not available as the case may be. We touched on recycling and Ms Burke said the amount of waste going to landfill is decreasing but much of it is being managed by heat recovery or, to use the old-fashioned word, incinerator or waste heat recovery biomass. Does the EPA have a role in terms of all the new applications that are submitted? If, say, Bord na...

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Does it have to license all of those?

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: Ms Burke might include in the note whether that is before or after they get planning permission.

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: I do not know the stage at which the EPA comes into that entire process. Does it come in at the end or the beginning?

Public Accounts Committee: Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017 (18 Apr 2019)

Seán Fleming: There have been changes. That is the reason I am not sure about that so that would be helpful. That concludes our business. I thank the witnesses for coming in today. It is a compliment to the EPA witnesses that we are finished a little early. There will be a routine meeting to discuss its annual financial statement. We chose to invite the witnesses. I am not sure when they were here...