Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 736: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to strengthen legislation to implement the Seveso 2 directive into Irish law. [1175/06]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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My Department recently received the draft text of regulations from the Health and Safety Authority, which are designed to transpose Council Directive 96/82/EC on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances, as amended by Directive 2003/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. This is more generally known as the Seveso 2 directive. The new regulations will revoke and replace (i) the European Communities (Control of Major Accident Hazards Involving Dangerous Substances) Regulations 2000 (S.I. No. 476 of 2000), and (ii) the European Communities (Control of Major Accident Hazards Involving Dangerous Substances) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 402 of 2003). The regulations will apply to establishments where dangerous substances are present in amounts equal to or exceeding certain application thresholds. Operators of establishments will be required to take all necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of major accidents and to limit the consequences of accidents for people and the environment. The regulations will impose duties in respect of safety management systems, preparation of safety reports and emergency preparedness and they will also deal with provision of advice on major hazards in the context of land-use planning decisions. I expect the legal text of the regulations will be settled in the near future, which will enable me to sign the statutory instrument to bring the directive into force.