Committee Reports::Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Environment and Local Government, 2005::01 February, 2006::Report


	HOME Baile
	COMMITTEE REPORTS Tuasascálacha Coistí

Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2006 > Committee on Environment and Local Government > Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Environment and Local Government, 2005

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Chomhshaol agus Rialtas Áitiúil

TUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2005 agus CLÁR OIBRE 2006

Feabhra 2006

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government

ANNUAL REPORT 2005 and WORK PROGRAMME 2006

February 2006

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Chomhshaol agus Rialtas Áitiúil

TUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2005 agus CLÁR OIBRE 2006

Feabhra 2006

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government

ANNUAL REPORT 2005 and WORK PROGRAMME 2006

February 2006

Annual Report 2005 and Work Programme 2006

Table of Contents

1.	Content and Format of Report	1
2.	Functions and Powers	1
3.	Chairman, Vice Chairman, Convenors and Membership	2
4.	Meetings, Attendance and Recording	2
5.	Number and Duration of Meetings	3
6.	Work of the Committee.	3
7.	Groups and Individuals attending before the Committee	4
8.	Reports	6
9.	Travel	7
10.	Functions and Powers	8

APPENDIX 1 - Orders of Reference	A-1
APPENDIX 2 - Members of the Joint Committee	A-5
APPENDIX 3 - Meetings of the Joint Committee	A-6
APPENDIX 4 - Meetings of the Dáil Select Committee	A-8
APPENDIX 5 - Minutes of Proceedings of the Joint Committee	A-9
APPENDIX 6 - Work Programme 2006	A-10

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

•Prepare an annual work programme

•Lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses

•Make an annual report to both Houses

At its meeting on 1^st February 2006 the Joint Committee agreed that all these items be included in its annual report.

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 Seán Haughey was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 24^th November, 2004. Deputy Jackie Healy-Rae is Vice-Chairman. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.

Deputies John Cregan 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.

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 31, 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 29 occasions in the year under report. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 50 hours. The date and subject matter of each meeting is set out at Appendix 3.

The Dáil Select Committee met on 2 occasions in the year under report and the number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 4 hours. 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 29 occasions and considered the following matters:

•M3 Motorway Development

•Implementation of the Nitrates Directive in Ireland

•Retail Planning Guidelines

•EU Environment Council

•Emissions Trading

•Energy performance and construction in Ireland

•Housing in Ireland, Performance and Policy

•Building Standards and Energy Performance in Construction

•BNFL Sellafield

•Electoral (Amendment) Bill

•Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2005

•National Wetlands Wilderness Park Committee

•EU Scrutiny

•Role of the Private Residential Tenancies Board

•Genetically Modified Organisms

•Illegal dumping in Wicklow

•Licensing system employed by the EPA

•Proposed infill of a 52-acre site in Dublin Bay

•Local charges on Irish Business

•2004 Annual Report of An Bord Pleanala

•Register of Electors

•Recycling of Household Waste in Ireland

A copy of the Joint Committees work programme for 2006 is at Appendix 6.

Dáil Select Committee

The Committee met on 2 occasions and dealt with the following matters:

•Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005

•Revised Estimates 2005 (Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government - Vote 25

7. Groups and Individuals attending before Committee

In the year under report the Joint 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 Batt O’Keeffe, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

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

•Meath Archaeological and Historical Society

•Tara Heritage Group

•Discovery Programme

•The Heritage Council

•Teagasc

•RGDATA

•IHBMA

•IFA

•Cork Marts

•Century Homes Ltd

•Chamber of Commerce

•Meath Citizens for the M3

•Century Homes Ltd

•Construct Ireland Magazine

•National Economic & Social Council

•Irish Concrete Federation

•Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland

•Save Leitrim Campaign Group

•Save the Tara-Skryne Valley Campaign Group

•National Wetlands Wilderness Park Committee.

•Irish Council for Social Housing,

•Private Residential Tenancies Board

•Environmental Protection Agency

•An Taisce

•Wicklow County Council

•Dublin Port Company

•National Parks & Wildlife Services

•Dublin Bay Watch

•IBEC

•United Kingdom Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)

•An Bord Pleanála

8. Joint Committee Reports

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

•Report on the Meeting of EU Environment Committees in Brussels.

•Report on the Meeting on Climate Change of EU Environment Committees and Meetings with Argentine officials involved in environmental issues

•Report on the Solid Waste Technology and Management conference in Philadelphia

•Report on the Global Capacity Building Initiative for Parliamentarians on Sustainable Development

•Report on Homelessness Seminar

•Report on visit of a Delegation of the Joint Committee to the BNFL site at Sellafield, Cumbria, UK.

•Report on COM(2004)621 — Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (Life+)

8.1 Work in Progress

•Scrutiny of EU Documents

•Preparation of Work Programme for 2006

9. Travel by the Joint Committee

The Committee undertook the following travel in accordance with its orders of reference and in connection with its work programme:

a) Purpose of travel:	20^th Solid Waste Management Conference
Date of Destination:	Philadelphia, USA 3^rd-6^th April 2005
Members travelling:	Deputy Fergus O’Dowd
	Senator Cyprian Brady
	Senator James Bannon
b) Purpose of travel:	Seminar on Homelessness
Date of Destination:	EU Parliament Brussels 23^rd May 2005
Members travelling:	Senator James Bannon
c) Purpose of travel:	Inaugural Conference of the Global Capacity Building Initiative for Parliamentarians on Sustainable Development
Date of Destination:	Paris 22^nd April 2005
Members travelling:	Deputy Ciaran Cuffe
d) Purpose of travel:	Visit of a Delegation of the Joint Committee to the BNFL Site at Sellafield, Cumbria
Date of Destination:	20^th September 2005
Members travelling:	Deputy Sean Haughey
	Deptuty Fergus O’Dowd
	Deputy Ciaran Cuffe
	Senator James Bannon
e) Purpose of travel:	Meeting of EU Parliamentary Committees
Date of Destination:	20^th -21^st November 2005
Members travelling:	Deputy Eamon Gilmore

10. Functions and Powers

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

____________________________

Seán Haughey T.D.

Chairman of the Joint Committee

1^st February 2006.