8 November 2006

Environment

EPA Licensing of Waste Water Treatment Plants

Ciarán Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will enact section 59 of the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 to subject all local authority sewage treatment works to full EPA licensing regime.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Roche):

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Roche): My Department is currently in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency, the European Commission and other relevant Government Departments on a draft of regulations under section 59 of the European Protection Act 1992. The proposed regulations are to provide for the licensing of urban waste water discharges from treatment plants and to give further effect to provisions of the EU Dangerous Substances Directive (76/464/EEC) and the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC).