Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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220. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of on-the-spot fines issued for alleged offences relating to the marketing, sale and distribution of prohibited fuels in low-smoke zones; the number of fines that have been issued versus the number of fines that have been collected by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14196/21]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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225. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the details of fines issued for offences relating to the marketing, sale and distribution of prohibited fuels in low-smoke zones by county; the number of fines; the amounts fined; the number of fines collected in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14318/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 225 together.

Enforcement action against breaches of the Air Pollution Act (Marketing, Sale, Distribution and Burning of Specified Fuels) Regulations 2012 is a matter for Local Authorities and my Department does not compile statistics in relation to prosecutions taken or fines imposed. The Recommended Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspections data collated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does include the following detail with respect to Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued for breaches of the regulations for the years 2016 to 2019.  

Further details with respect to how effectively Local Authorities are enforcing the provisions of environmental  legislation, including the Air Pollution Act, are available from the series of Local Authority Environmental Performance Assessment  reports compiled by the EPA. These reports can be accessed at: .

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to further strengthen enforcement of air quality legislation by developing a regional approach to air quality enforcement. A coordinated approach is required given the links between burning of solid fuels and the health effects of air pollution, as well as the potential for market distortion for businesses properly adhering to the rules. Increased multi-agency inspections and enforcement, including the increased use of fixed payment notices, are required, and my Department is fully committed to supporting Local Authorities in this regard.