Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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141. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the Environmental Protection Agency is excluded from Ombudsman oversight, and the alternative accountability mechanism exist that are accessible to members of the public. [54022/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1993 under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992. It is a non-commercial, independent regulatory body as set out under that Act and, as Minister, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by the EPA of its functions.

As a regulator, the EPA enforces environmental legislation and carries out other functions in accordance with the EPA Act 1992, which includes Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) and Industrial Emissions (IE) licensing. Those licences are awarded, refused, or awarded with conditions based on the relevant legislation and the individual facts of each application. The decisions of the EPA can be appealed under the EPA Act 1992 and it is a matter for the Courts to decide the validity of the decision under Judicial Review.