Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the timescale for the instrument of ratification of the Aarhus Convention to be submitted to Government and laid before Dáil Éireann. [29625/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Ireland signed the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters on 25 June 1998. Progress towards ratification of the Convention is closely aligned with work at EU level and, in that context, the European Union has adopted two Directives as part of the ratification process for the Convention. These deal with public access to environmental information (2003/4/EC) and public participation in certain environmental decision-making procedures (2003/35/EC).

Regulations transposing the European Communities (Access to information on the Environment) Directive 2003/4/EC were signed and came into effect on 1 May 2007. The process to transpose Directive 2003/35/EC is already well advanced with legislation completed to amend the majority of the relevant consent systems. The remaining work will be finalised by the Departments concerned at the earliest possible date.

When full transposition of Directive 2003/35/EC is completed, the instrument of ratification of the Aarhus Convention will be submitted to Government and laid before the Dáil as soon as possible.