Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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130. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department is currently reviewing ways to reduce the duplication of licensing applications needed to be attained to construct energy generating sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60390/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 has passed Second Stage in the Dáil. The Bill aims to streamline the current EPA licencing process by putting in place statutory timelines for EPA decisions and also by enabling ‘limited’ licence reviews in circumstances where an EIA is not required and the proposed change to an installation is not substantial.

The Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity was published in September 2025. Action 44P of the Plan is a priority action which commits to expedite the Bill in addition to resourcing the EPA sufficiently to comply with the required licencing decision timeframes and review the legislative possibilities to allow for concurrent processing of planning and licencing decisions.

Any activity that requires an Industrial Emissions licence under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) must be authorised in line with that Directive. The EPA is the competent authority for the IED.