Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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175. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the procedures in place regarding oversight of work at the Poolbeg incinerator to record and detect level of pollutants leaking into the River Liffey. [24981/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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While neither I nor my Department have any direct role in overseeing the operation of the incinerator at Poolbeg, the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts 1977 and 1990 carry a general prohibition on the entry of any polluting matter to waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the statutory body for investigating complaints of pollution and for the enforcement, both directly and through oversight of local authorities, of environmental legislation in Ireland.

Operation of the Poolbeg Incinerator is subject to the conditions of the Industrial Emissions Licence issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (Register. No. W0232-01).  The licence sets strict conditions and emission limit values to ensure that operation of the activity will not pose a risk to human health or the environment.  The EPA is responsible for enforcing the conditions of the licence and I understand that EPA inspectors have been visiting the site regularly in recent months to ensure that all the necessary licence requirements are in place.

I also understand that Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd is required to undertake a rigorous test programme to demonstrate that all abatement and monitoring equipment is operating correctly and that the plant is operating in compliance with the Emission Limit Values (ELVs) specified in the licence.  Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd is also required to establish and maintain a public awareness and communications programme to ensure that members of the public can obtain information at the facility concerning its environmental performance. The licensee is also required to make monitoring data available on-line; this will include real-time and summary emissions monitoring data.