Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 217: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the rules and guidelines his Department has issued in relation to noise pollution created by home owners and tenants; the measures that exist to enforce them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21442/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Section 107 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 provides local authorities with powers to require measures to be taken to prevent or limit noise from any premises, processes and works. The Environment Section of the relevant City or County Council is the appropriate contact point for reporting a noise nuisance in this regard.

In addition, under section 108 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992, where any noise is so loud, so continuous, so repeated, of such duration or pitch or occurring at such times as to give reasonable cause for annoyance, then it is open to any person, or group of persons, to bring a complaint to the District Court. The Court may order the person or body making, causing or responsible for the noise to take the measures necessary to reduce the noise to a specified level or to take specified measures for the prevention or limitation of the noise and the person or body concerned must comply with that order.

The procedures involved have been simplified to allow action to be taken without legal representation. A public information leaflet outlining the legal avenues available to persons experiencing noise nuisance is available to download from my Department's website at the following address: http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Noise/PublicationsDocuments/FileDownLoad,1319,en.pdf.

Additional information in relation to addressing noise caused by individuals in private rented accommodation and in relation to noise nuisance caused by local authority tenants is also available to download from my Department's website at the following address: http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Noise/.