Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 325: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason, in view of the revelations regarding the water supply in Galway and other areas here, the Aarhus Convention has yet to be adopted particularly as the adoption of the Aarhus Convention was to have been included in the programme for Government; and when this will happen. [34242/08]

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 well advanced with legislation completed to amend the majority of the relevant consent systems pertaining to that Directive in the Irish legislative framework. Work is continuing on the outstanding issues, and will be finalised by the Departments concerned at the earliest possible date.

Upon completion of the full transposition of Directive 2003/35/EC, I, along with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, will ensure that the instrument of ratification of the Aarhus Convention is submitted to Government and laid before the Dáil.