Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps that have been taken to transpose the European Union public participation directive to give rights to the public to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43041/08]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps that have been taken for Ireland to ratify the Aarhus Convention and to grant the public rights to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43039/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 54 together.

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). The European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 came into effect on 1 May 2007. These Regulations transpose EU Directive 2003/4/EC on Public access to environmental information.

Transposition of EU Directive 2003/35/EC on Public Participation in certain environmental decision making procedures requires the amendment of a number of consent systems relevant to two existing Directives — the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive and the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. The process to transpose the Public Participation Directive is already well advanced, with legislation completed to amend the majority of the relevant consent systems.

The work to amend the remaining outstanding consent systems will be finalised by the Departments concerned as soon as possible. When this work has been completed 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 as soon as possible.