Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 216: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures taken to comply with Article 3(5) of Directive 2003/4/EC on Access to Information on the Environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26792/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Article 3(5) of the Directive 2003/4/EC deals mainly with practical arrangements by public bodies to assist persons to access information on the environment. The Directive has been transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 133 of 2007). Article (5)(a) requires a public authority to inform the public of their rights under these Regulations (the AIE Regulations) and the Directive, and to provide advice and guidance on the exercise of these rights.

Article 14 of the AIE Regulations enables me to publish guidelines in relation to their implementation by public authorities and obliges these authorities to have regard to any such guidelines. Guidelines under Article 14 were issued at the time of the making of the AIE Regulations. Paragraph 7.3 of the guidelines sets out the practical steps to be taken by public authorities to assist persons seeking environmental information, and is especially relevant in the context of Article 3(5) of the Directive. The detailed arrangements necessary to give effect to these requirements are matters for the public bodies concerned.

Finally, my Department arranged for the publication of a notice in the national newspapers at the time of the making of the AIE Regulations. The notice drew attention to the making of the Regulations and to the guidelines accompanying them.