Whistle-blowers legislation, extending Parliamentary Questions to EPA, & bringing the EPA under the remit of the Ombudsman are among the recommendations.
The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., has today (Monday 30th May) published the Review of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The review was carried out over a 16 month period by an independent group (the Environmental Protection Agency Review Group) and was tasked with reviewing the EPA’s scope, mandate, structure and performance.
Minister Hogan said: ‘I welcome this comprehensive report which contains 58 recommendations across a number of themes, such as governance and resources, licensing, assessment and monitoring, research and information and stakeholder relationships. This is a significant body of work which was undertaken by the Group and each member brought a wealth of knowledge from their field of expertise to the table.’
Some of the key findings and recommendations of the review include:
Generic legislation to protect whistle-blowers should be introduced;
The EPA should be subject to the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction in respect of administrative issues and be more answerable to the Oireachtas through the extension of the parliamentary question process to the Agency;
Robust systems to monitor and enforce the financial requirements of licences should be put in place, to ensure there is sufficient provision for the aftercare of facilities;
The level of license fees should be routinely reviewed, these are due for upward revision;
There is a strong argument for the EPA’s licensing process to be revised to include formal requirements on Health Impact Assessment, with a specialist Advisory Committee being established to address the interface between the environment and human health;
A wider review of environmental governance in Ireland should be carried out;
Funding for environmental research should be maintained;
Interaction between the planning and environmental licensing should be addressed in light of the ECJ judgment against Ireland;
The Aarhus Convention should be ratified;
The achievements of the EPA since its foundation are widely recognised; it has provided considerable benefit for Ireland’s environment and the health and well-being of its people.
"I have asked the EPA to formally respond to the report in July. In the meantime, my Department will consider the findings. Given the importance of the report and the amount of recommendations, it will take a number of months to decide on and develop the appropriate actions arising from the report.
"I would like to thank the members of the Review Group, Dr. Mary Kelly, Director General, her Director colleagues and all the EPA staff, for their commitment to bringing the review to fruition. I would also like to thank all those who contributed to the review as part of the comprehensive consultation process - members of the public, Government Departments and agencies which interact with the EPA, local authorities, Non-Governmental Organisations, business groups and farming bodies."
The Group’s Review is available from www.environ.ie.