Results 1-20 of 124 for epa speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (9 Sep 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 810 to 812, inclusive, together. My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. As part of the review of the Guidelines, my Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wind Energy Guidelines (9 Jul 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 387 to 390, inclusive, together. My Department is currently undertaking a focused review of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. The review is addressing a number of key aspects of the Guidelines including setback distance, noise, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections. My Department, in conjunction with...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (14 May 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...and are available only in circumstances relating to risks to water quality and/or human health and the environment, and are not general in application. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required, under the Water Services Act 2007, to prepare a National Inspection Plan for the inspection and monitoring of DWWTS. The local authorities, with the support of the EPA, are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (30 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...to be available only in circumstances relating to risks to water quality and/or human health and the environment. I have no plans to make further changes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required, under the Water Services Act 2007, to prepare a National Inspection Plan for the inspection and monitoring of DDWWTS. The local authorities are responsible for the implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Research and Development (23 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: Met Éireann a line division of my Department funds a broad range of research activities relevant to its mission “to monitor, analyse and predict Ireland's weather and climate. We do this to provide Irish society and decision-makers with world-class weather, climate, and flood services to protect life and property, and to promote wider societal and economic well-being”. ...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...development which comprises or is for the purposes of an activity for which an integrated pollution control licence, an abstraction licence or a waste licence is required, the commission may request the EPA to make submissions on the proposed development. Similarly, the commission should be empowered to request a submission from the EPA in respect of an application for which an industrial...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not compile the information requested. The Water Services Act 2007 (as amended) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce a national inspection plan for domestic waste water treatment systems, also known as septic tanks. The EPA report on the implementation of the plan and publishes information on inspections and enforcement on an annual basis. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Pollution (9 Apr 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: This is an operational matter and my Department cannot interfere in regulatory processes. Since 1 January 2014, Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels and my Department has no function in relation to this matter, under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. The EPA is...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (20 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...are located in either a Prioritised Area for Action or a High Status Objective Catchment Area, as identified in the River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has statutory responsibility, under the Water Services Act 2007, for the preparation of the National Inspection Plan for DWWTS. Inspections are allocated across the country with the greatest...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...environmental authorities for their consideration for a period of not less than four weeks from the dates of notice. Currently, SEA environmental authorities are listed yet we have these before the EPA and the Minister for agriculture, the Minister for housing – myself – the development applications unit at the Department of housing and the Minister for the environment. It...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...completed by the end of 2026. There are over 1,000 water supplies in Ireland. Overall, Ireland has good drinking water quality. In its Drinking Water Quality Report for 2022, which was published in 2023, the EPA confirmed that “water quality from public supplies remains high and consumers can be confident that it is safe to drink” and “compliance rates are...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Services (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...Éireann) network. The water services infrastructure, provided by the developer of such estates, is more commonly called DPI. Using funding provided under the National Development Plan, my Departments’ Multi-annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme (DPI Programme) provides funding to assist in progressively resolving issues with DPI across...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (5 Mar 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The Question does not make reference to a specific Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report. I am assuming that the report referred to is Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment – Sources, Persistence, Transmission and Risk Management (AREST). If this is the case, the report was published in February 2024. The findings and recommendations of the research study will be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Water Quality (29 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...and operation at national, regional and local level, including investment in drinking water treatment plants and distribution networks. Under Section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, my Department has no operational function in this matter. However, it may be helpful to note that Uisce Éireann has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (27 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...support to households for remedial work on septic tanks arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has statutory responsibility, under the Water Services Act 2007, for the preparation of the National Inspection Plan for DWWTS. Inspections are allocated across the country with the...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Septic Tanks (22 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department does not compile the information requested. The Water Services Act 2007 (as amended) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce a national inspection plan for domestic waste water treatment systems, also known as septic tanks. The EPA report on the implementation of the plan and publishes information on inspections and enforcement on an annual basis. The...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (22 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...body for investigating complaints of pollution and for the enforcement, both directly and through oversight of Uisce Éireann and local authorities, of environmental legislation, including compliance. The EPA is an independent public body established under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: ...be conclusive evidence of the matters stated therein in relevant proceedings brought by an enforcement authority". That is the planning authority or another enforcement authority, such as the EPA. That is where this starts.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Functions (21 Feb 2024)

Darragh O'Brien: The role of my Department in the National Agricultural Inspection Programme has been to: Establish the programme under the 5thNitrates Action Programme and give the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversight of the programme,Sit on the EPA-chaired National Agricultural Inspection Programme (NAIP) Working Group to ensure that all relevant current and emerging policy matters are...