Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security publishes its report, I request that the House engage in an immediate debate on it. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our generation. Schoolchildren were marching last week about this issue and it is as much about current generations as future ones. I attended a public meeting, along with many others, in the South Court Hotel in Limerick regarding an incinerator being built in Mongret by Irish Cement. There was a large turnout. This is something I feel strongly about and I do not think the incinerator should go ahead. I am more interested, in the context of climate change, in the fact that the particular licence application for the incinerator is before the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. I am really concerned about the reform of the latter. The planning permission for the building of the physical structure is given by the local authority prior to the matter being looked at by the EPA for the granting of the licence. That is putting the cart before the horse. The licence for the operation of any form of incinerator or facility of that nature should effectively be adjudicated upon by the licensing authority for the operation of such a facility, which is the EPA, prior to the grant of planning being given by the local authority for the physical structure. Furthermore, it is my understanding that the local authority, Limerick City and County Council, would be unable to give permission for the physical structure if they have any environmental concerns. There is a contradiction there. A local authority is unable to grant permission for a physical structure if it has any environmental concerns and yet it can give that grant prior to the licence being applied for with the EPA which is involved in the operation and adjudication on the environmental concerns.

I want to see a number of things happen, the first of which is reform of the EPA whereby if a facility is in any way burning alternative fuels, the EPA, as licensing authority, would have to adjudicate on it before the application goes before the local authority, like Limerick City or County Council, for planning permission.Second, the monitoring side of the EPA's remit is important. Various recent reports have stated that air pollution is the source of huge environmental and health concerns. There is a public health issue regarding the Irish Cement site at Mungret. It is important that the EPA have a proper monitoring facility in respect of air pollution. New monitoring sites have been put in place throughout Mungret and they-----