Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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294. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to confirm that planning authorities are required to formally consult the HSE on pertinent planning applications that require an environmental impact assessment to be undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50999/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage, my role in relation to the planning system is, primarily, to provide a policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities, including An Coimisiún Pleanála (the Commission) and the Office of the Planning Regulator (the OPR) perform their statutory planning functions.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive specifies projects which, by virtue of their nature, size or location are likely to have significant effects on the environment and should be subject to EIA. The Directive at article 3 requires that the EIA process should identify, describe and assess in an appropriate manner, in the light of each individual case the direct and indirect significant effects of a project on a number of environmental factors, including population and human health.

The Directive also states at article 6(1) that Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure that the authorities likely to be concerned by the project by reason of their specific environmental responsibilities or local and regional competences are given an opportunity to express their opinion on the information supplied by the developer. To that end, Member States shall designate the authorities to be consulted, either in general terms or on a case-by-case basis.

Article 28 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 - 2025 (the 2001 Regulations), contains a list of prescribed bodies to be consulted on planning applications. The Health Service Executive (HSE) is listed at article 28(s) as the body to be consulted where it appears to a planning authority that the development might have significant effects on public health.

It is a matter for planning authorities or An Coimisiún Pleanála to determine on a case by case basis, which of the bodies prescribed under article 28 of the 2001 Regulations, should be consulted on a given planning application.