Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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103. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources how his Department is abiding by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, commonly referred to as the Aarhus Convention, specifically in relation to the construction of wind turbines, and the formulation of Ireland's energy policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38953/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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While I have no function in regard to the authorisation of wind farm developments, I can advise the Deputy that the construction of wind farms, as with any infrastructure project, is subject to national planning law and procedures and consultation as appropriate. It should be noted that the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, is fully compliant with the requirements of the Aarhus Convention and provides for full transparency as regards to information on the environment and access to justice dimensions.

The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure, sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. Ireland’s energy policy is developed in line with Ireland’s EU and international obligations and best practice. One of the central themes in the Green Paper on Energy Policy, published in May 2014, is citizen empowerment. Since its publication, the Department undertook a public consultation process which included analysis of over 1,200 written submissions and thirteen stakeholder seminars on the various priority areas highlighted in the Green Paper. The views submitted are being fully considered in the formulation of the Energy White Paper, which will be published before the end of the year.