Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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493. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the location and operational status of each air quality monitoring station. [3322/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Following a public consultation process, the Environmental Protection Agency has published the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme 2017-2022. The new programme is built around three key pillars of an enhanced and expanded national ambient air quality monitoring network; improved modelling and forecasting capability; and citizen science/engagement initiatives to encourage greater understanding and involvement of the public in air quality issues.

I fully support this important initiative by the EPA and have committed funding of some €5 million over the lifetime of the programme.

The new national ambient air quality monitoring network outlined in the programme will provide the following three tiers of data:

- Tier 1: The existing Clean Air for Europe Directive (CAFE) network of monitoring stations, enhanced and fully automated.

- Tier 2: This network will, when completed, consist of the CAFE network, extended with the addition of 38 new air monitoring stations.

- Tier 3: “Local” air quality monitoring facilities. This monitoring network will be established in partnership with local authorities, providing local data for communities as well as contributing to the overview national air quality.

The current location and operational status of the Tier 1 and 2 national ambient air quality monitoring stations is outlined in the following table.

The current location and status of the Tier 3 local air quality monitoring stations is outlined in the following table.