Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 617: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to provide real time user-friendly information on line on water and air quality. [17964/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Air quality assessment is the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has a statutory duty under the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2002 to make information available on ambient concentrations of all pollutants under the scope of the Regulations. The EPA website provides real-time, publicly accessible, data from a number of monitoring stations nationally which allows the public to gauge air quality in relation to current EU and national standards.

The EPA's Air Quality in Ireland 2006 report, published in October, 2007, (available in the Oireachtas Library), contains details of the monitoring and assessment of national air quality, and incorporates data from all air quality monitoring stations operated by the EPA and local authorities. Air quality was good throughout the country in 2006 and complied with the air quality standards in force for all pollutants.

Statutory responsibility for the monitoring, management, protection and improvement of water quality, including groundwater, is assigned to local authorities, acting under the general supervision of the EPA. The EPA, through its ENvision online Map Viewer, currently shows the biological river quality data available to the Agency and it is hoped to add the chemical quality data to this in the near future.

In relation to drinking water quality results, a standard template for publication on each water services authority website is currently being prepared by my Department in consultation with the EPA and the City and County Managers' Association.