Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 188 and 189 together.  

The new Solid Fuel Regulations will come into force on 31st October this year and will introduce minimum quality standards that will apply to all solid fuels distributed throughout the State. This will ensure that the most polluting can no longer be made available on the Irish market and will assist the public in transitioning to less polluting alternatives. New regulations on the use of solid fuels for domestic heating are necessary as each year some 1,300 people die prematurely in Ireland from illnesses which are caused or exacerbated by air pollution from solid fuel burning. It is further estimated that there are over 16,200 life years lost, while many people also experience a poor quality of life due to the associated short-term and long-term health impacts of this form of pollution. I remain committed to addressing this critical public health and environmental challenge. 

There will be no period of grace for any solid fuel producer or retailer after the effective date of the regulations. In September 2021, I announced that the regulations would come into effect for the 2022/2023 heating season. I made the announcement at that time in order to allow retailers a sufficient period to run down existing stocks and plan accordingly for the introduction of the new regulatory framework. Over the past year, officials from my Department have also been working with retailer representative bodies to support the transition to the new regulations and have been running an awareness campaign for the past number of months to inform retailers and producers of their responsibilities. Transport of unapproved fuels will be prohibited under the new regulations, irrespective of where the fuel is being brought from. Under the regulations, specified records must be carried on any vehicle being used to transport solid fuel which must be presented to an authorised person if requested to demonstrate that the fuels concerned are in compliance with the regulations.   

Enforcement actions will be a matter for Local Authorities once the regulations are introduced. Initial enforcement efforts will focus on working with and helping those involved in the solid fuel industry in understanding and complying with their obligations under the new framework. Further information for both retailers and couriers is available at www.gov.ie/cleanair