Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which air pollution level at various vantage points throughout the country continue to be monitored; the degree to which increases have been noted at specific locations; the action actions proposed in response thereto; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54556/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The main ambient air quality monitoring programme in Ireland is carried out to meet the requirements of EU Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, also known as the CAFE Directive. The Directive sets legally binding limit values, and target values for a range of pollutants and requires that certain minimum levels of monitoring is conducted for the purpose of assessment and management of air quality.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has responsibility for the monitoring of air quality in Ireland, and monitors a range of atmospheric pollutants via a network of permanent and fixed-term air quality monitoring stations located around the country, reporting the results on its website at: . Monitoring includes the following pollutants: nitrogen oxides; sulphur dioxide; carbon monoxide; ozone; particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), ozone, benzene and volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The EPA publishes also an annual report on air quality, based primarily on the monitoring requirements of the CAFÉ Directive. The most recent report, Air Quality in Ireland 2011 – Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality , was published in September 2012 and provides an assessment of air quality in Ireland for 2011, compared to the CAFÉ Directive standards, based on data obtained from the 29 monitoring stations that form the national ambient air quality network.

No exceedances of EU limit values were recorded for 2011 and downward trends have been identified for many pollutants. However, levels of particulate matter (PMs) are a concern, especially where there is widespread reliance on solid fuel for residential heating, particularly in towns where the ban on bituminous coal does not apply. To maintain good standards of air quality and ensure that, in the future, air across all Ireland will be healthy and clean, local authorities must continue to enforce the ban on bituminous coal with improved effectiveness. Air quality could also benefit significantly if households used more efficient methods for space heating by shifting from solid fuel to cleaner, more efficient alternatives; this would also have additional climate benefits by lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Following public, industry and local authority consultations, I introduced revised and updated solid fuel regulations to ensure that they remain fit for purpose in safeguarding air quality by limiting harmful emissions of air pollutants arising from the use of residential solid fuels. Under the Air Pollution Act (Marketing, Sale, Distribution and Burning of Specified Fuels) Regulations 2012 which were given effect in August 2012,

- most existing smoky coal ban area boundaries were revised to take recent urban development into account;

- seven new towns are being added to the ban from May 2013 - Greystones, Letterkenny, Mullingar, Navan, Newbridge, Portlaoise and Wicklow Town; and

- a prohibition on the burning of bituminous or smoky coal was provided for, to complement the established ban on its marketing, sale and distribution.

The new regulations will ensure that the ban continues to be effective in maintaining good air quality standards in our cities and towns, protecting human health and the environment. Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels in larger urban areas, derived mainly from road traffic, have remained relatively static since 2002, with signs of a slight increasing trend in the years 2008-2010. Further reductions of NO₂ levels will require improved emission standards from new vehicles, reduced demand for private road transport, increased use of alternatives to the private car such as cycling, walking and public transport.