Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Denis Naughten, for attending today. His Department, under his guidance, announced last week additional funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, for the provision of a number of additional air quality monitoring stations nationwide. Through the Minister's Department, I have made a formal request to the EPA so that, as part of this programme, it will seek to install immediately a permanent air quality monitoring station at the Irish Cement plant in Mungret, Limerick. People living in the greater Mungret-Raheen-Dooradoyle-Limerick area would like to see this station. The Minister is probably aware that there is currently an application before Limerick City and County Council from Irish Cement seeking to put in place an alternative fuels plant on the site. The licence for the overall site is before the EPA at present.

I welcome the fact that the Minister is providing an additional fund to the EPA for the erection of a permanent air monitoring station. Good practice ordains that one of the sites for monitoring air quality should be at the Irish Cement site in Mungret, Limerick. There is major concern among people living in the area. Many have young families. They are very reasonable people and they have concerns about the emissions from the plant. Bearing in mind the robustness of the licensing regime of the EPA in respect of measuring air quality, I understand there is no permanent air monitoring site at the Irish Cement plant in Limerick at present. Cement manufacturing is heavy industry so air monitoring is required immediately. The people of the area are entitled to it.

The Minister is putting funding in place to allow the EPA to erect the permanent air monitoring stations. Clearly, the Irish Cement plant in Mungret should be at the front of the queue. There have been numerous public meetings with residents in the area and the wider public in Limerick. This has been brought to a head with the current application before Limerick City and County Council for the alternative fuel plant on the site. As the Minister is probably aware, however, the licensing of the alternative fuel plant will have to be done by the EPA itself. Apart from that, the licence of the overall site is currently under review in the EPA.

I welcome the fact that the Minister has appeared before the Seanad to deal with this issue. I ask for a commitment that he will take the matter up with the EPA and that the EPA will erect a permanent air monitoring site at the Irish Cement plant in Mungret, Limerick.