Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 202: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will provide an update on the terms of reference of his review of the Environmental Protection Agency; the make up of the review and the person being invited to make submissions to this review and if he intends an independent review of the agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26119/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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To implement a commitment in the Programme for Government in 2007, re-iterated in the renewed Programme for Government in October 2009, a review of the Environmental Protection Agency commenced in February 2010 following the appointment of members on 2 February 2010.

The review's terms of reference are as follows: i) To review the legislation governing the EPA, including the licensing functions and the processes in place to ensure public participation and the various remedies and sanctions available to the EPA for enforcement provided in the Acts, and to identify any necessary improvements in the legislation; ii) To assess the performance of the EPA against the mandate which it was given when it was originally established in 1993, in relation to the expanding goals which have been set for it in the past decade and in comparison with best practice elsewhere, and to identify any necessary improvements in the EPA's procedures and approaches; iii) To assess the scope of the EPA's mandate and whether it could be strengthened to include other areas; iv) To review the resources allocated to the EPA in relation to current obligations and further functions that may arise, on foot of EU legislation; v) To assess the structures and governance of the EPA (including the operation of advisory committees and whether non-executive directors should be provided for; and vi) To re-assess the ongoing relationship between the EPA and other parts of the environmental governance structure in Ireland, having regard to the environmental challenges facing Ireland and developments in society. The Review Group has decided that, in progressing its work, seven broad thematic perspectives will be used. These themes are as follows:

1. Legislative Framework

2. Legislative Compliance

3. Licensing, Management and Assessment

4. Environmental Research and Information

5. The Relationship between the Environmental Protection Agency and its stakeholders

6. Governance, Internal Structure and Resource Allocation Issues

7. An International / Comparative Agency Perspective

A public consultation was announced on 22 February 2010 and it will finish on 18 June 2010 as the original closing date was extended due to increased public demand. I would welcome as wide a range of submissions as possible from environmental protection interest groups, public sector bodies, and members of the public to ensure that the review is as inclusive as possible.

The Review Group have been asked to report to me by the end of the year and I am satisfied that they will be in a position to do this. Further details about the review are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie