Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Report and Final Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-14
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Darragh O'Brien (FF), Dublin Fingal East

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na leasuithe seo. Labhróidh mé faoi leasuithe Uimh. 9 agus 17 le chéile.
These amendments again relate to the EPA Act 1992 and the Waste Management Act 1996. They propose that ministerial regulations be prescribed in the context of timeframes for decision-making and the reporting obligations of the agency. Regarding the proposed new subsection (4), provision to prescribe such regulations is already provided for in the new section 90B(2)(c) of the EPA Act and the new section 46B(2)(c) of the Waste Management Act.
On the proposed new subsection (5), in its annual report, the agency already reports on the number of applications, decisions and proposed determinations made in a given year. The amendment to section 51 would oblige the agency to provide details of the number of proposed determinations made within the prescribed period. Therefore, there should be no need to detail the number of determinations made outside that period because that will be evident. This does not preclude a request by the Minister to the agency to provide such information. That would have been very useful. Perhaps if we had got the amendment a little sooner - that is not a criticism - we could have taken action because this is something that needs to be monitored. As stated, however, the Minister is not precluded from making a request to the agency to provide the necessary information. There is also no preclusion on it being provided by means of replies to parliamentary questions.
On this basis, I am genuinely satisfied that the provisions in this regard are appropriate. Therefore, as set out on Committee Stage, I do not propose to accept these amendments.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-14