Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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240. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when he plans to issue guidelines on the setback distance of 1 kilometre from family homes for windmills; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35872/16]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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241. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when the updated planning guidelines for wind farms will be published; the consultation that has taken place with local communities as outlined in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35954/16]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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243. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when he will publish updated and significantly enhanced guidelines for wind farm development; if he will ensure that such guidelines take cognisance of the detailed submissions made by communities across rural Ireland into the evaluation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36334/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 240, 241 and 243 together.

In December 2013, my Department published proposed draft revisions to the noise, setback distance and shadow flicker aspects of the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines. These draft revisions proposed:

- the setting of a more stringent day- and night-time noise limit of 40 decibels for future wind energy developments,

- a mandatory minimum setback distance of 500 metres between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity considerations, and

- the complete elimination of shadow flicker between wind turbines and neighbouring dwellings.

A public consultation process was also initiated on these proposed draft revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines, which ran until February 2014. My Department received submissions from 7,500 organisations and members of the public during this public consultation process.

As outlined in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Government is committed to finalising the revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelineswithin the first six months of coming into office. The revisions to the Guidelines will be informed by the public consultation process and by best international practice. My Department is continuing to advance work on the Guidelines, in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, in order to bring the matter to a conclusion as early as possible.

The revisions to the 2006 Wind Energy Development Guidelines, when finalised, will be issued under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Planning authorities, and, where applicable, An Bord Pleanála are required to have regard to such guidelines, issued under Section 28, in the performance of their functions under the Planning Acts.