Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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168. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans in relation to noise nuisance; if future legislation will take consideration of noises that are not necessarily loud, such as constant humming noises and vibrations; if there is a time frame for his plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40853/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Programme for Government includes a commitment to take further steps to address noise pollution, inter alia, through consideration of the introduction of fixed payment notices (also known as “ on-the-spot fines ”). The development of new noise legislation by my Department is being considered in the context of this commitment. However, as indicated in the Government’s Legislation Programme published in September, it is not possible at this time to indicate when such a Bill might be published, having regard to the broad range of legislative priorities to be progressed across my Department’s remit. Over many years, there have been reports of low-level, low-frequency noise, which can be perceived as a hum, from various places around the world. By its nature, low-frequency noise can be transmitted over long distances, and at low level it can be difficult to distinguish from other sources. Reported ‘hums’ have been extensively investigated in both the UK and the USA, where studies found that generally less than 10%, or even as low as 2%, of the population will experience any noise. Generally, specific noise sources have not been identified as the origin of any particular ‘hum’ and in the absence of a known noise source, no noise abatement solution or remedy can be applied.

A public information leaflet, How to Make an Environmental Complaint, has been prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist members of the public by advising whom they should contact regarding environmental complaints and what details should be provided to help resolve the problem. This leaflet can be viewed on the Agency’s website, .