Results 1-20 of 32 for epa speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sustainable Travel Operations Update: National Transport Authority (10 Jul 2024)

Steven Matthews: .... I concur with Deputy Duncan Smith's comment that the NTA is always willing to engage and that is appreciated by all members of the committee. I saw the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report this week, which is positive about emissions reductions. We are here to discuss sustainability in transport. We have seen good work being done in agriculture and results being achieved....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing for All: Discussion (13 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: ...the legislation and guidelines we enact here in the Oireachtas and at local authority level. It does not have an agenda except to ensure we are doing what we set out to do. I see criticism of the EPA in the same way. It is very odd to see science being criticised when it does not suit people's narrative or agenda. As for the tenant in situ scheme, a number of those really hardworking...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Steven Matthews: ...discharge licence to water. Can a planning authority attach conditions to an application with regard to emissions, even if there is an IPC or other type of emissions licence as part of that to the EPA?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Steven Matthews: -----and you apply to the EPA for that. Would planning permission have to be got before getting the licence? I do not believe so.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Nov 2023)

Steven Matthews: ..., will be the next election but we never know. I hope the Electoral Commission will focus on how to get that information out there properly and work on the disinformation aspects of elections. Deputy Connolly spoke earlier about today's EPA report on local authorities' environmental enforcement reporting. Not only do we need to make sure our local councillors are resourced, have powers...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Septic Tanks (9 Nov 2023)

Steven Matthews: ...by the Minister. I did some research and worked out that there are probably approximately 500,000 private domestic wastewater treatment systems in operation. However, a report published by the EPA in June suggests that only 1,147 have been inspected. That is a low inspection rate given the high number of people who use wastewater treatment plants and when we consider that the urban...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Steven Matthews: ...more I learn about it. I do not think members having an interest is a difficulty. Where it does become a difficulty is when people point a finger at an independent scientific agency such as the EPA and infer that it is somehow political. That is not an acceptable statement for anybody to make, regardless of their experience and background. I have had an interest in water quality for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Steven Matthews: Aside from the nitrates action programme recommendations, when the EPA was in there was reference to Timoleague, where a much more rapid frequency of water testing is being carried out on a micro level. There is some suggestion that there have been improvements in water quality there, but my understanding is that essentially it is following the same trends as we have seen in the EPA report....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Steven Matthews: ...every one of us as public representatives not to go out and blame. Some parties blame this on a flawed process and others criticise the messenger - the highly-competent, experienced and dependable EPA reports. That is not the way this will be solved. It will be solved by ensuring farmers have the supports they need to protect water quality, which I believe they want to do. They have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Chair for the opportunity to contribute. I am not a member of the committee, so I appreciate that opportunity, as I do the work of the EPA. I have been reading the EPA's reports for over 20 years. Going right back, I remember the 1999 environmental indicators report. It was one of those reports that made me sit up and say that something needs to be done about the degradation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: ...here." We have seen this trend over the years and we can correlate those trends back to activities that happened in the catchment and contributed to the water quality. That is essentially what EPA reports have been saying for the past 25 years or so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: ...ask one more question. Is the reporting for the Commission a fairly standardised form of reporting that would be carried out in most European countries? Does the Commission set that out for the EPA?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)

Steven Matthews: .... I am referring back to the report. Appendix 1 - Copy of Article 12 of the Commission Implementing Decision begins, "The competent authorities shall submit ..." and continues from there. The EPA does not decide how it is going to test water. Water testing and reporting is a fairly standardised procedure.

Environmental Protection Agency Water Quality Report 2022: Statements (28 Jun 2023)

Steven Matthews: ...not enough resources were ever put into water. Putting pipes into the ground or adding extra capacity to a wastewater treatment plant were never vote getters. Things were allowed to fall into disrepair and not to function properly. Were it not for the skills and abilities of the local authority staff who managed the drinking water plants and wastewater treatment plants, we would be in a...

Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: ...be registered, it was said clearly to us that the registration process was not onerous in any way and would not impact on somebody who was abstracting or be an unnecessary administrative burden on the EPA, Irish Water or whoever might be set the task of doing that. I have yet to receive a substantial answer as to why we are going for a 25 cu. m registration level unlike other...

Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Bill 2022: Second Stage (8 Dec 2022)

Steven Matthews: ...important piece of information the committee received was legal advice from the OPLA on a number of questions we raised. I am unsure as to whether we did or can share this legal advice with the Department but I think it is extremely important that the Department considers the questions raised in that legal advice. I will go through them in more detail. The first thing I will discuss...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Management (28 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: 139. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the steps the OPW is taking in collaboration with the EPA to identify nature-based solutions to develop catchment management measures to provide benefits to various sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21097/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2022-2027: Discussion (7 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: ...on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. We also invited the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to the meeting but its representatives were unable to attend at this time. I hoped they would be able to frame or outline the river basin management plans. I will read my outline....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Draft River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2022-2027: Discussion (7 Apr 2022)

Steven Matthews: ...of goes back to bringing the public along with us. We have to bring everyone along in everything we do, whether it is agriculture, industry or individual users or residents. I read the latest EPA publication, that is, its indicators report from 2020. I find some of the graphs and charts confusing as well. I try to work out if where we see a drop in quality level down to another means...