Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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547. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the extent to which air pollutants have been identified at the various monitoring points throughout the country; if specific action is required in response to specific increases in air pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53464/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Ambient air quality monitoring in Ireland is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the 2008 Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) Directive (Directive 2008/50/EC) and the Fourth Daughter Directive (Directive 2004/107/EC of 15 December 2004). These Directives also include rules on how Member States should monitor, assess and manage ambient air quality. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is tasked with co-ordinating and managing the monitoring programme.

Ireland currently has a nationwide network of 42 monitoring stations which measure levels of air pollutants in the four zones. This information is delivered to the public in near real-time at . The numbers and locations of the monitoring equipment for each pollutant are determined by the requirements of the Directives for ambient air monitoring in each zone.

The Agency's most recent annual Air Quality Report was published in November 2018 and provides an assessment of air quality in Ireland for 2017. Values for all network sites were below the EU annual limit value, but exceeded the stricter World Health Organisation guideline values for a number of pollutants at individual sites. The European Environment Agency reference level for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) was exceeded at 4 monitoring sites. The report indicates that particulate matter from solid fuel burning remains the greatest threat to good air quality in Ireland, closely followed by nitrogen dioxide from transport emissions in urban areas. The report can be found at the following link: .

Notwithstanding the favourable comparison with EU annual limit values, recent scientific evidence indicates that air pollution is more damaging at lower concentrations than was previously understood. With this in mind, I am committed to bringing forward Ireland's first ever National Clean Air Strategy. The Strategy, which I intend to publish by the end of February 2019, will provide the policy framework necessary to identify and promote integrated measures across Government that are required to reduce air pollution and promote cleaner air, while delivering on wider national objectives.