Committee Reports::Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Environment and Local Government, 2007::01 April, 2007::Report
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TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Chomhshaol agus Rialtas Áitiúil

TUARASCÁIL DEIRIDH

1 Eanáir go 29 Aibreán 2007

Aibreán 2007

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government

FINAL REPORT

1st January 2007 to 29th April 2007

April 2007


TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Chomhshaol agus Rialtas Áitiúil

TUARASCÁIL DEIRIDH

1 Eanáir go 29 Aibreán 2007

Aibreán 2007

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government

FINAL REPORT

1st January 2007 to 29th April 2007

April 2007

Final Report 2007

Table of Contents


1.

Content and Format of Report

4

2.

Functions and Powers

4

3.

Chairman, Vice Chairman, Convenors and Membership

5

4.

Meetings, Attendance and Recording

5

5.

Number and Duration of Meetings

6

6.

Work of the Committee

6

7.

Groups and Individuals attending before the Committee

7

8.

Reports

8

9.

Travel

9

10.

Functions and Powers

9

APPENDIX 1 - Orders of Reference

i

APPENDIX 2 - Members of the Joint Committee

vi

APPENDIX 3 - Meetings of the Joint Committee

vii

APPENDIX 4 - Meetings of the Dáil Select Committee

ix

APPENDIX 5 - Minutes of Proceedings of the Joint Committee

x

1. Content and Format of Report

This report has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69 (3), (4), (5) and 6 of 69, (Seanad Éireann) which provide for Joint Committee to-


•Undertake a review of its procedure and its role generally


•Lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses


•Make an annual report to both Houses


At its meeting on 25th April 2007 the Joint Committee agreed that all these items should be included in this report covering the period of January 2007 to the dissolution of Dáil Éireann on 29th April 2007.


2. Functions and Powers

The Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16 October 2002 to consider Bills, Estimates for Public Services and the terms of any international agreement involving a charge on public funds which come within the aegis of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.


The Dáil Select Committee under the same Order was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17 October 2002, to form the Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government. Among the principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider —


•public affairs administered by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government


•matters of policy for which the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible


•legislative and expenditure proposals from that Department


•scrutiny of EU legislative proposals


•certain matters relating to bodies under the aegis of that Department


The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1.


3. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and Membership

Deputy John Cregan was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 14th February, 2007. Deputy Jackie Healy-Rae is Vice-Chairman. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.


Deputies Noel Grealish and Padraig McCormack are the Convenors of the Committee whose function it is to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions.


Deputy Michael Moynihan was appointed to the Committee on 8th February 2007 in the place of Deputy Sean Haughey.


The Members of the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 2


4. Meetings, Attendance and Recording

Meetings of the Joint Committee and Select Committee took place in the committee rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the Committee.


Televised coverage of public meetings of the Committee were broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting by R.T.E., TV3 and TG4.


Verbatim written reports of public meetings of the Select Committee in relation to Bills and Estimates for the Public Services, Vote 25, were published and may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. These may also be viewed on the Oireachtas website at www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas.


Copies of other reports published by the Joint Committee may be obtained from the Clerk, Joint Committee on Environment and Local Government, Kildare House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. A list of these reports is set out at Section 8.


5. Number and Duration of Meetings

The Joint Committee met on 8 occasions in the year under report. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 8 hours and 16 minutes. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out at Appendix 3.


The Dáil Select Committee met on 3 occasions in the year under report and the number of hours spent in discussion in these meetings was in excess of 4 hours and 50 minutes. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out at Appendix 4.


Minutes of the Joint Committee meetings are attached at Appendix 5.


6. Work of the Committee

6.1 Joint Committee

The Committee met on 8 occasions and considered the following matters:


•Election of Chairman.


•EU Scrutiny.


•Tourism and the Environment.


•Motion on Planning and Development Regulations 2007.


•Climate Change and Ireland.


•The 2005 Annual Report of the Affordable Homes Partnership and its Operations.


•EU Environment Council.


•Motion on Specification of an area of the Poolbeg Peninsula as an area for which the Dublin Docklands Development Authority may prepare a planning scheme.


Dáil Select Committee

The Committee met on 3 occasions and dealt with the following matters:


•The Revised Estimates for Vote 25, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Annual Output Statement for that Department


•The Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007


•Carbon Fund Bill 2006


7.Groups and Individuals attending before Committee

In the year under report the Committee met with the following organisations, groups and individuals:


•Mr Dick Roche T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and his officials


•Mr Noel Ahern, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government


•Mr Batt O Keeffe, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government


•Fáilte Ireland


•Various officials from


-The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government


-The Department of Agriculture and Food


-The Environmental Protection Agency


•Royal Irish Academy’s Committee on Climate Change


•Friends of the Earth


•Community Climate Change Consortium for Ireland (C4i)


•Affordable Homes Partnership


8.Joint Committee Reports

During the year under report the Joint Committee published the following reports:


•Final Report 2007


•Reports arising from scrutiny of the following EU legislation


a)COM (2006) 636: Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the banning of exports and the safe storage of metallic mercury.


b)COM(2006)78: Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the placing on the market, in accordance with Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of oilseed rape products (Brassica napus L., lines Ms8, Rf3 and Ms8xRf3) genetically modified for tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate-ammonium


COM(2006)338: Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of an amendment to the Convention on access to information, public participation in decision making and access to justice in environmental matters


c)COM(2003)32: Proposal for a Council Directive (Euratom) setting out basic obligations and general principles on the safety of nuclear installations.


Proposal for a Council Directive (Euratom) on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.


COM(2004)526: Amended proposal for a Council Directive (Euratom) laying down basic obligations and general principles on the safety of nuclear installations. Amended proposal for a Council Directive (Euratom) on the safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.


d)COM(2006)240: Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion, by the Commission, of the Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project, of the Arrangement on Provisional Application of the Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation on the ITER Project and of the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project.


COM(2006)364: Amended Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the seventh framework programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013).


8.1Work in Progress

The Committee’s work ceased on dissolution of the 29th Dáil.


9.Travel by the Joint Committee

Deputy Eamon Gilmore attended a conference on the Future of the Private Rented Sector in Ireland held in Dublin Castle on 23rd March 2007 and organised by Threshold Ireland.


Deputy Ciaran Cuffe attended National Housing Conference 07 held in Santry, Dublin from 25th March 2007 to 27th March 2007 and jointly organised by the Joint Housing Committee of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.


10.Functions and Powers

The Committee is currently satisfied with its present procedures and role.


____________________________


John Cregan T.D.


Chairman of the Joint Committee


April 2007.
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