Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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276. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the procedures in place for the demolition of buildings and disposal of associated debris in urban and rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47876/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The demolition of buildings - other than as exempted by Class 50 Schedule 2, Part 1 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (demolition, subject to conditions, of a building within the curtilage of a house, an industrial building, a business premises or a farmyard complex) - is subject to the requirement to obtain planning permission.

Section 34(4)(l) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 permits the attachment of conditions to a planning permission relating to construction and demolition waste management. A possible draft for such a condition is included in the Best Practice Guidelines on the Preparation of Waste Management Plans for Construction and Demolition Projects, issued by my Department in July 2006; this provides that prior to the commencement of development, the developer would be required to submit a formal Project Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan to the local authority for agreement prior to Commencement Notice stage.

In June 2007, my Department issued the Development Management Guidelines for Planning Authorities. The Guidelines advise that, in relation to the issue of the proper management of construction and demolition waste, planning authorities should have regard to Departmental Circular Letter WPR 7-06 and Best Practice Guidelines on the Preparation of Waste Management Plans for Construction & Demolition Projects (available at ) or any subsequent revision of these guidelines. These guidelines primarily advocate maximum reuse of materials onsite, their segregation to facilitate recycling when not reused onsite, and minimal disposal.

The ongoing review of the Producer Responsibility concept in Ireland will examine the establishment of producer responsibility obligations for construction and demolition projects over a certain threshold. The final report of the review will be published in the coming months.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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277. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding entrances on to national secondary roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47930/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The decision as to whether to grant planning permission in any particular case is a matter for the relevant planning authority, in the first instance, and for An Bord Pleanála in the event of an appeal. In making decisions on planning applications, planning authorities and the Board must consider the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, having regard to the provisions of their development plan, any submissions or observations received, and relevant nisterial or Government policies, including current guidelines issued by my Department under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.

In January 2012 my Department published the Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities. The guidelines were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 and planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála are required to have regard to them in the performance of their functions.