Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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1130. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if an exemption can be granted to a society (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13780/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The ban on the marketing, sale and distribution of bituminous coal, or the ‘smoky coal ban’ as it is commonly known, has proved very effective in reducing particulate matter and sulphur dioxide levels within the areas it applies, with an associated significant improvement in public health. Research indicates, for example, that the ban has resulted in over 350 fewer annual deaths in Dublin alone. Residential burning of coal is a key source of air pollution and, as such, there is a commitment to extend the smoky coal ban nationwide by 2018.

I launched a consultation paper on the first ever National Clean Air Strategy on 1 March. The Strategy will provide the  framework for a set of cross-Government policies and actions, including  the smoky coal ban, to reduce harmful emissions and their associated health impacts, by improving our air quality.

While at this point I do not envisage exemptions from the national ban on bituminous coal, I would welcome a submission from the Irish Steam Preservation Society  as part of the Clean Air Strategy consultation currently underway, details of which can be found on my Department's website at .