Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
Annual Report 2013
An Irish version and an English version of the Annual Report (2013) is
available on – www.environ.ie.
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Contents
Foreword by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local
Government ..................................................................................................................... 3
Summary of Main Achievements 2013 ......................................................................... 9
Chapter 1: Housing ........................................................................................................ 15
Chapter 2: Water .......................................................................................................... 22
Chapter 3: Environment ................................................................................................ 26
Chapter 4: Local Government and Franchise .......................................................... 31
Chapter 5: Communities and Rural Development .................................................. 36
Chapter 6: Planning ...................................................................................................... 42
Chapter 7: Met Éireann................................................................................................. 47
Chapter 8: Resourcing the Modern Department ..................................................... 54
APPENDICES .................................................................................................................... 62
APPENDIX 1: Legislative Activity in 2013 .................................................................. 62
APPENDIX 2: Publications in 2013 ............................................................................. 93
APPENDIX 3: Annual Energy Efficiency Reporting - Overview of Energy Usage
in 2013 .......................................................................................................................... 98
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Foreword by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local
Government
The year 2013 proved to be a very challenging, but productive one for the
Department, with a number of Programme for Government commitments
progressed, in tandem with the Department being heavily involved with
Ireland’s hosting of the EU Presidency. In that context, my colleagues, Ministers
of State Jan O’Sullivan, T.D., and Fergus O’Dowd, T.D., and I are pleased to
accept delivery of the Department’s Annual Report, which provides a broad
overview of the activities of the Department of the Environment, Community
and Local Government during 2013.
The Statement of Strategy 2011-2014 outlines the Department’s high level
objectives and key strategies across its Programme areas (Housing, Water
Services, Environment and Waste Management, Local Government,
Community and Rural Development, Planning and Met Éireann). The Strategy
clearly illustrates the Department’s broad remit and reflects the strategic
priorities and considerable reform agenda of the Government for National
Recovery Programme 2011 – 2016 and facilitated Ireland’s exit from the EU/IMF
Programme of Financial Support.
The Department’s performance is measured on an annual basis against the key
outputs and performance indicators outlined in the Statement of Strategy, but
most importantly by the improvements it makes to the lives of those it serves.
Over the course of 2013, the Department progressed policies that better
positioned Ireland to adapt and meet a range of present and future
challenges that face the country. The work of the Department in 2013
commenced the most radical reform of local government in over a century, set
in train the establishment of a body to manage and deliver our valuable water
resource, helped reduce the tally of environmental infringements against
Ireland and, in doing so, earned a commendation from the European
Commission and contributed to the restoration of Ireland’s international
standing. In addition, the Department centred its updated leadership role in
addressing the significant challenges in the complex and evolving planning
and housing landscape, and was also active in managing what was the final
year of the current Leader and Local and Community Development
programme initiatives which make such a significant impact on local
communities across the country.
On behalf of my Ministerial colleagues and on my own behalf, I wish sincerely to
thank the staff of the Department for the skill, energy and professionalism with
which they worked to achieve a considerable amount of progress across a
wide range of areas and sectors during 2013. I would like thank Geraldine Tallon
for her commitment in the year under review and for her contribution to the
Department during her tenure as Secretary General. I wish her well in her
retirement.
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The achievements of the Department in 2013 have paved the way for the
delivery of initiatives in economic and physical regeneration, social and
community development and environmental protection which will facilitate job
creation and a sustainable future.
Phil Hogan, T.D.
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government
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Secretary General’s Statement
Building on our work in recent years, the Department sustained delivery in 2013
across a broad range of agendas, bringing a number of far reaching policies of
major national significance to fruition, building on significant development work
in the preceding years.
The Department continued to play a significant role in Ireland’s economic
recovery, part of which involved focussing on ensuring that Ireland’s Presidency
of the EU in the first half of 2013 was a success, helping to rebuild our
international reputation.
Over the course of the Presidency, the Department delivered on a number of
high level outcomes such as the UN Treaty on Mercury, the EU’s 7th Environment
Action Programme and a new Directive on Nuclear Safety Standards.
Sustained work on the part of the Department also dramatically reduced
Ireland’s tally of environmental infringements, earning a commendation from
the European Commission in the process.
In addition to the high level outcomes achieved by the Department, the
Environment Division successfully led the environmental agenda during our
Presidency, including successfully negotiating eight First Reading Agreements
with the European Parliament, as well as the endorsement of Council
Conclusions on a new Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and on the Rio+20
Post 2015 Agenda.
In parallel with the significant EU and international business associated with the
Presidency, the Department’s domestic agenda continued to move apace,
with significant progress being made on a range of Programme for
Government commitments.
Post the Presidency the Department restructured and revised its operation to
maximise efficiency and effectiveness across the organisation and provide
maximum support to policy implementation, change management and
business process improvement. This is delivering a more agile, flexible and
responsive organisation.
In the Housing area, over €95m was invested in regeneration programmes and
in remedial and other improvement works. The on-going restructuring of the
Social Housing Investment Programme delivered 1,042 units through leasing and
4,701 additional transfers under the Rental Accommodation Scheme. In
addition, over 1,000 new social accommodation units were delivered through
local authorities and approved housing bodies.
The Department commenced the implementation of the housing element of
the Government’s deinstitutionalisation programme to support people with
disabilities leaving institutions. Coupled with this, a protocol governing housing
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assessment and allocation processes for people with disabilities was developed
and issued to all housing authorities.
On foot of the continued implementation of the Mortgage-to-Rent scheme for
borrowers from private lenders and a successful pilot of Mortgage-to-Rent
scheme for borrowers from local authorities during 2013, the Local Authority
Mortgage-to-Rent scheme was rolled out nationally in February 2014.
Significant work continued in 2013 to deal with unfinished housing
developments. A special provision, in the form of a targeted €10m Special
Resolution Fund (SRF), was provided for in Budget 2014, to further assist in
addressing the legacy of unfinished housing developments. In addition,
progress was made on dealing with legacy issues associated with pyrite; in
particular, the Pyrite Resolution Act 2013, signed by the President in late
December 2013, provided for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board
to develop and oversee the implementation of a scheme to remediate
dwellings affected by pyrite related damage. Learning from lessons of the past,
the new Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2013 were announced as
the cornerstone of a suite of measures which aim to strengthen the current
arrangements for the control of building activity. These requirements will bring
improved accountability to bear in our building industry.
Progress in the water sector continued, with the establishment of Irish Water. This
builds on the intensive work undertaken in previous years, culminating in the
enactment of the Water Services Act 2013 which provided a statutory basis for
the domestic metering programme and the establishment of Irish Water and
the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 which provided for the transfer of
responsibility for water services provision to Irish Water and the assignment of
responsibility for economic regulation of water services to the Commission for
Energy Regulation. The installation of water meters commenced in August 2013.
Over 100,000 meters were installed at the end of 2013, and some 300km of
mains were repaired or replaced under the water conservation programme.
The Department also received Government approval for the priority drafting of
the Maritime Area and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill, which aims to integrate the
foreshore consent system with the on-land planning system operated by An
Bord Pleanála and local authorities, thereby helping give effect to a number of
Government commitments.
In addition to a busy international agenda, the Environment Division of the
Department made significant progress on a busy domestic agenda. Three lead
authorities for regional waste management planning were designated in June
2013. The monitoring of the implementation of the 70 cross-government
measures identified in the framework document, Our Sustainable Future: A
Framework for Sustainable Development for Ireland also continued in 2013. In
addition, considerable attention was devoted to progressing the climate policy
and legislative agenda.
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The National Radon Control Strategy Group, established to develop a National
Strategy to address the effects of radon, finalised the National Radon Control
Strategy and this was subsequently published in early 2014.
Continuing with implementation of the Government’s electoral agenda, the
Department’s oversight of the Franchise area saw the management of the
legislative and operational arrangements for two Referendums, the enactment
of legislation to redraw the local electoral map for the 2014 local elections and
the re-drawing of Dáil and European constituencies.
The change in the local electoral map was progressed to enable the radical
transformation in local government structures in Ireland to come into force after
the 2014 local elections as part of a wider transformation of the structures, role,
function and finances of local authorities. 2013 also saw the Local Government
Reform Bill almost completing its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas;
this legislation, which was successfully enacted in January 2014, makes legal
provision for the reforms set out in the Government’s Action Programme for
Effective Local Government, Putting People First.
In advance of implementing these changes the Department undertook
engagement with various stakeholders to advance Government proposals on
local government reform. Consultation also took place on local
government/local development alignment, including with the local
development, community and voluntary and local government sectors and
with a range of Government Departments/Agencies.
The Department’s role in the Community sector ensured the provision of funding
of over €80m, under the LEADER elements of the Rural Development
Programme 2007-2013, resulting in the creation of 1,110 full-time jobs in 2013
and infrastructural enhancements in 1,301 villages and communities across the
country.
In 2013, €47.7m was spent under the Local Community Development
Programme which assisted 49,790 people through education, labour market
training or support into self-employment.
Grant assistance amounting to €2.3m was provided for the Seniors Alert
Scheme to local community and voluntary groups towards the purchase and
installation of personal monitored alarms to enable persons over 65, of limited
means, to continue to live securely in their homes. 10,597 beneficiaries received
monitored units as a result.
In 2013, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, working
in partnership with fire authorities, published Keeping Communities Safe (KCS).
This sets out national standards in line with best international practice and will
be implemented by local fire authorities over the period to end 2015.
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The Planning Division saw significant activity in 2013, with 2,000 quarries assessed
under the continued rollout and monitoring of the regulatory regime for quarries
under the Planning Act 2000. As a result of the assessment, further guidance
was issued to planning authorities under section 28 of the Act. In addition, new
Development Contributions Guidelines were published in 2013.
Weather-wise, the year was notable for a very cold spring followed by a warm
summer and ending with a series of storms. Met Éireann re-launched its weather
warning system, now featuring colour-coded warnings that are fully aligned
with the European Meteoalarm system. A new web portal was implemented to
deliver weather information to public-sector agencies. Climate change
research, based on participation in the EC-Earth Consortium, led to updated
climate projections for Ireland and significant contributions to the IPCC in
preparation for the AR5 report. An operational dispersion modelling service was
developed to predict transport of air-borne pollutants.
2013 was a very productive year for the Department, particularly when the
additional challenge of the Presidency of the EU is factored in and, in that light,
I wish to acknowledge the considerable skill and effort of my colleagues, which
allowed the Department to sustain a very strong output across its range of
activities. The support and engagement from our agencies and our patrons in
Local Government should also be recognised.
I would particularly like to thank my predecessor Geraldine Tallon, who retired in
March 2014. It was under her stewardship, as Secretary General, that the
extensive range of outcomes outlined in this Annual Report for 2013 and
previous years were achieved. We are all very grateful for her leadership and
achievements and we wish her well in her retirement.
I am confident that, as Ireland continues along the road towards full economic
recovery, the Department has the skills, ability, energy and commitment to
continue to play a key role in supporting this overriding national aperture. We
will do this by a sustained focus on driving forward our business agenda in 2014
and beyond.
John McCarthy
Secretary General
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Summary of Main Achievements 2013
Housing
 Delivery of 1,042 housing units from leasing, 4,701 under Rental
Accommodation Scheme (RAS). In addition, around 950 new social
accommodation units were delivered through local authorities and
approved housing bodies.
 Continued investment in the National Regeneration Programme with almost
€70m invested in a range of projects aimed at the physical, social and
economic regeneration of key areas in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Waterford,
Tralee, Dundalk and Sligo. A further €25m was spent on a national
programme of remedial works projects, and funding for the provision of
extensions, improvement works in lieu of local authority housing and
improvements to accommodate disabilities.
 Preparatory work on the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme,
including the completion of an economic assessment of the proposal and a
detailed business process design exercise.
 The General Scheme of a Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013
providing for HAP and associated items was approved by Government.
 On foot of the continued implementation of the Mortgage-to-Rent scheme
for borrowers from private lenders and a successful pilot of Mortgage-toRent scheme for borrowers from local authorities during 2013, the Local
Authority Mortgage-to-Rent scheme was rolled out nationally in February
2014.
 Exchequer support of some €38m meant that 7,011 households benefited
under the Housing Adaptation Grants Scheme for Older People and People
with a Disability.
 A protocol governing housing assessment and allocations processes for
people with disabilities was developed and issued to all housing authorities.
 Commenced implementation of housing element of Government’s
deinstitutionalisation programme with 7 properties acquired to support 15
people with disabilities leaving institutions in 2013.
 Publication of Resolving Unfinished Housing Developments: Annual Progress
Report on Actions to Address Unfinished Housing Developments, including a
Summary Report of the 2013 National Housing Development Survey. The
Public Safety Initiative continued to operate in 2013 in order to address the
most serious health risks in the worst affected estates.
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 Publication of the Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement. The
Homelessness Oversight Group provided its First Report to the Minister for
Housing and Planning on 19 December 2013.
 Commenced reviews of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000,
and the Shared Ownership Scheme.

New Building Control Regulations and a Code of Practice for Inspecting
and Certifying Buildings and Works, which aim to strengthen arrangements
for the control of building activity, were agreed with stakeholders and will
come into effect on 1 March 2014.
 The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 was enacted to establish the Pyrite Resolution
Board on a statutory basis and to provide for a pyrite remediation scheme.
 A framework was agreed with the former residents of Priory Hall and other
stakeholders on a proposed resolution for the residents and for the future of
the complex.
Water
 By the end of 2013 over 250 contracts in the latest and final water services
investment programme had been completed and over 100 were in
progress.
 Some 300km of mains had been repaired or replaced under the water
conservation programme.
 Two pieces of legislation relating to the reform of the water sector were
enacted: the Water Services Act 2013, in March, and the Water Services
(No.2) Act 2013, in December.
 The installation of domestic water meters commenced in August 2013.
Almost 80,000 meters were installed at the end of 2013.
 The European Court of Justice Case on the Implementation of Waste
Framework Directive in relation to Septic Tanks and other Individual
Treatment Systems (Court Case C-188/08) was formally closed on 30 May
2013. From July, local authorities began carrying out inspections according
to the National Inspection Plan which was published by the EPA in February
2013.
 In July, the Government approved the priority drafting of the Maritime Area
and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill. The Bill aims to integrate the foreshore
consent system with the on-land planning system operated by An Bórd
Pleanála and local authorities, and will help to give effect to a number of
Government commitments.
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 Ireland’s EU Presidency successfully secured agreement on amendments to
the Priority Substances in the Water Framework Directive.
 Ireland acceded to the UN Convention on Non-Navigational uses of
Transboundary Watercourses (1997) in December 2013.
Environment
 Led the environmental agenda during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU
including successfully negotiating eight First Reading Agreements with the
European Parliament and the endorsement of Council Conclusions on a
new Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and on the Rio+20 Post 2015
Agenda.
 In respect of implementation of a key plank of the Government’s National
Waste Policy, A Resource Opportunity, three lead authorities for regional
waste management planning - corresponding with the regional structures
set out in the Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local
Government – were designated in June 2013. The reduction from ten waste
regions to three will play an important role in the provision of effective and
efficient delivery of waste management services, and new regional waste
plans will be drawn up in 2014.
 The Department continued in 2013 to monitor implementation of the 70
cross-government measures identified in the framework document, Our
Sustainable Future: A Framework for Sustainable Development for Ireland.
 The National Radon Control Strategy Group, established to develop a
National Strategy to address the effects of radon, a naturally occurring
radioactive gas that increases the risk of lung cancer, finalised the National
Radon Control Strategy which was published by the Minister at the National
Radon Forum in February 2014.
 Policy analysis and outline Heads of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon
Development Bill released.
Local Government and Franchise
 Publication of the Local Government Reform Bill, to underpin a radical
programme of reform in local government structures, finance and functions,
and supporting the Bill’s passage through both Houses of the Oireachtas,
paving the way for enactment in January 2014.
 Enactment of the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 and
the Electoral, Local Government and Planning and Development Act 2013.
 Publication of the European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2013.
 Legislative and operational arrangements for two Referendums.
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 Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee supported and report published.
 European Parliament Constituency Committee established, supported and
report published.
 The publication of Keeping Communities Safe & CAMP – The Next
Generation, in addition to a number of key support documents, by the Fire
Services and Emergency Management Directorate.
 The launch of an all-island fire safety campaign, in co-operation with the
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, took place during National Fire
Safety Week in October.
 Capital investment of €5m to improve the infrastructure of the fire services,
including upgrades to fire station; provision of new front line fire appliances
under a joint procurement initiative; and the provision of other fire and
rescue emergency equipment.
Communities and Rural Development
 Engagement with key stakeholders to advance Government proposals on
local government reform and local government/local development
alignment, including with the local development, community and voluntary
and local government sectors and with a range of Government
Departments/Agencies.
‘Front-runner’ Local Community Development
Committees were established in five local authority areas to trial
approaches to LCDC operation and capture valuable learning for full rollout in 2014.
 The Local Community Development Programme (LCDP) worth €47.6m in
2013 was delivered by the Local Development Companies and provided
assistance to over 45,000 people. The LCDP and its successor programme will
be implemented under the Local Government/Local Development
alignment policy by the Local Community Development Committees and
transitional arrangements for 2014 were put in place in the latter part of the
year.
 Funding of over €80m was provided under the LEADER elements of the Rural
Development Programme 2007-2013. This resulted in the creation of 1,110
full-time jobs in 2013 and infrastructural enhancements in 1,301 villages and
communities across the country.
 2013 marked the 55th year of the National Tidy Towns competition which
received over 830 entries. The Tidiest Village and the overall Award Winner
was Moynalty, Co. Meath. Other winners were:
o Small Town: Kenmare, Co. Kerry,
o Large Town: Killarney, Co. Kerry
o Large Urban Area: Ennis, Co. Clare.
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 The National Giving Campaign, the “one per cent difference”, was
launched and the Social Innovation Fund was set up under the Companies
Acts.
Planning
 During 2013, 2,000 quarries were assessed under the continued rollout and
monitoring of the regulatory regime for quarries under section 261A of the
Planning Act 2000. Data was collected and placed on the Department’s
website. As a result of the assessment, further Guidance was issued to
planning authorities under section 28 of the Act.
 The Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2013 provided for
exemptions from planning (subject to certain conditions) for charging points
for electric vehicles, certain remedial works carried out on septic tanks, and
certain structures provided by a statutory undertaker authorised to provide a
telecommunications service.
 The publication of the Local Area Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities
and accompanying non-statutory Manual for Local Area Plans, to assist
planning authorities deliver on their mandatory obligations to prepare local
area plans.
 New Development Contributions Guidelines were published to provide nonstatutory guidance on the drawing up of development contribution
schemes in planning authorities.
 The Gateway and Hubs Development Index 2012 was published by the
regional assemblies, in conjunction with the Department in 2013.
Met Éireann
 Introduction of colour-coded weather warnings system and achievement of
full alignment of national weather warnings with the European Meteoalarm
system.
 Development of the METweb portal for the delivery of graphical weather
information to key public-sector users.
 Aviation Modernisation and Automation Project (AMAP), which will
automate certain functions at airports, continued in its planning phase and
involved wide-ranging consultation with stakeholders.
 Update of climate change projections for Ireland.
 New dispersion modelling capability established for emergency support in
the event of noxious materials released into the atmosphere.
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Resourcing the Modern Department
 Employment Control Framework (ECF) and Payroll targets achieved.
 Ireland’s Presidency of the EU supported through Departmental
reorganisation, internal staff deployment and the engagement of a small
number of additional temporary staff.
 Post-Presidency, a major restructuring project was initiated to improve
Departmental efficiency; to date this has delivered significant staff mobility
and consolidation of functions with resources directed towards key business
priorities, with plans for further restructuring to take place in 2014.
 A number of Project Teams were established to progress staff
recommendations that will, with the agreement of the Management
Committee of the Department, bring reform and business process
gains/improvements to a range of areas within the Department. The work of
these teams will be further progressed over the course of 2014 and beyond.
 Haddington Road Agreement changes successfully implemented and
payroll savings/efficiencies achieved.
 Over seven hundred training courses delivered to staff along with 35 external
third level courses supported.
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Chapter 1: Housing
High Level Objective
To enable all households access good quality housing appropriate to
household circumstances and in their particular community of choice.
The main focus, in terms of housing supports provided by the Department, is on
meeting the most acute needs of those unable to provide for accommodation
from their own resources. The supports aim to deliver social housing in flexible
and cost-effective ways, tailored to meet peoples’ needs at their particular
stage in life.
Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP)
SHIP continues, in an efficient and effective manner,
accommodation for those in housing need. Funding
deliver suitable social rental accommodation under
Scheme (CAS) to those with specific housing needs,
disability, the elderly and homeless persons.
to deliver good quality
is provided to AHBs to
the Capital Assistance
such as persons with a
A national improvement works programme in respect of the local authority
housing stock and a programme of physical, social and economic
regeneration for run down local authority estates and city flat complexes is also
implemented under SHIP. In addition, a programme of private housing grants
and supports continues to improve the living conditions of those living in their
own homes, with a particular focus on older people and people with a
disability.
The on-going restructuring of the SHIP continued, with 1,042 units made
available from leasing and 4,701 new transfers from Rent Supplement to the
Rental Accommodation Scheme and other social housing supports. When
added to units and transfers prior to 2013, this resulted in an overall net cost of
just over €157m for both schemes. These models accounted for a significant
proportion of the total social housing delivery for 2013, in line with the objectives
of the Housing Policy Statement, 2011.
In addition to the on-going restructuring of the SHIP, around 950 new social
accommodation units were delivered through local authorities and approved
housing bodies. SHIP continued to deliver social housing in 2013, with some 550
new units of local authority social accommodation delivered by means of
construction and acquisition.
The expansion of the role of the voluntary and co-operative sector in
addressing social housing needs, through the improvement of the voluntary
regulatory framework for the sector and through the introduction of direct
lending facilities via the Housing Finance Agency was continued in 2013.
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In 2013, some €50m was provided under a special jobs stimulus initiative for
improving the energy performance of older local authority housing stock. This
three year investment programme will improve energy efficiency and comfort
levels in 25,000 local authority houses. In 2013, more than 13,000 homes
benefited under this energy efficiency measure, with expenditure totalling
€27m.
Significant additional delivery of units, sourced through the National Asset
Management Agency (NAMA), was achieved, with some 367 units delivered
for social housing in 2013. These units were delivered using finance leasing, local
authority and voluntary housing investment programmes. 2013 also saw the first
delivery of units through the special purpose vehicle, called the National Asset
Residential Property Services Limited, established by NAMA in 2012 to acquire
properties from developers or receivers in NAMA’s portfolio of loans and to
make these available to local authorities and AHBs by way of a long-term
lease.
With funding provided under the CAS, 210 new units of accommodation were
provided for those with a specific category of housing need. The expansion of
the role of the voluntary and co-operative sector in addressing social housing
needs, through the improvement of the voluntary regulatory framework for the
sector and through the introduction of direct lending facilities via the Housing
Finance Agency, was continued in 2013.
Other achievements over the course of 2013 included:
 The launch of Voluntary Regulation Code for the Approved Housing Body
(AHB) sector.
 Continued investment in the National Regeneration Programme, with almost
€70m spent on a range of projects aimed at the physical, social and
economic regeneration of key environments in Dublin, Limerick, Cork,
Waterford, Tralee, Dundalk and Sligo.
 7,011 households benefitting from the Housing Adaptation Grants Scheme
for Older People and People with a Disability, with a total cost to the
Exchequer of €38.3m.
 An investment of almost €25m on estate-wide remedial works schemes and
on extensions and adaptations to the social housing stock to meet the
needs of tenants with a disability
Housing Assistance Payment
On 18 July 2013, Government approved the introduction of the new Housing
Assistance Payment (HAP). The General Scheme of a Housing Bill, to provide the
legal framework underpinning the scheme was approved by Government on
17 December 2013. Considerable preparatory work was undertaken on the
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scheme. This included the completion and submission to Government of an
economic assessment of proposal in relation to the scheme. In addition a
detailed business process design exercise for was completed. The Department
and the Department of Social Protection continue to work closely on the legal,
policy and operational issues involved in developing and introducing HAP
including adopting a reasonable approach to implementation which could
prioritise certain groups, such as the long-term unemployed or those who are
homeless or in danger of homelessness, in the early stages.
Discontinuance of Land Aggregation Scheme
The Land Aggregation Scheme first became operational in 2010 with the
objective of gradually reducing the outstanding loan balance for land on local
authority books. In 2013, as a consequence of continuing pressure on
Exchequer resources, it became evident that expenditure on the Land
Aggregation Scheme was not a sustainable option for the future. The reduced
level of capital funding being provided for the Department’s housing subhead
for 2014 reinforced that belief. As a consequence, a review of the scheme was
carried out, in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure Reform. It
concluded with the issue of Circular 35/2013 to all Local Authorities in
December 2013 notifying them of the discontinuance of the Scheme.
The Circular also gave notice to Local Authorities that no new submissions in
respect of loans which had matured or were due to mature would be
accepted into the scheme and any application received but not approved at
the time of the issue of the Circular could not be accepted into the Scheme.
However, the Circular also committed the Department to continue funding the
recoupment of annuity loan payments to local authorities in respect of lands
already approved into the scheme.
National Coordination Committee on Unfinished Housing Developments
A National Coordination Committee on Unfinished Housing Developments
(NCC) was established in June 2011, under the chairmanship of the Minister for
Housing and Planning, to drive the implementation efforts to resolve problems
associated with unfinished housing developments. The Committee comprises
representatives of residents, the Department, local authorities, developers,
bankers and NAMA.
Two years ago, the NCC published an Action Plan to address the
recommendations of a report by the Advisory Group on Unfinished Housing
Development. An Annual Report on progress has been prepared each year
since, in combination with the National Housing Development Survey.
Resolving Unfinished Housing Developments Annual Progress Report on Actions
to Address Unfinished Housing Developments, November 2013, outlined the
progress made in tackling the issues. Among progress identified is that since
2010 the number of remaining unfinished developments has decreased by 56%
and the number of vacant units decreased by 72%. In the 12 months to
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November 2013, site resolution plans were fully implemented on 553
developments.
The Public Safety Initiative, introduced in 2011, continued to operate in 2013 in
order to address the most serious health risks in the worst affected estates. The
process of preparing and implementing Site Resolution Plans is on-going and
local authorities continue to pursue enforcement action, including accessing
securities and bonds to access funding to complete public infrastructure.
Documents in relation to unfinished housing developments are displayed on
www.environ.ie and www.housing.ie.
The main focus for 2014 will be to resolve issues arising in the remaining
unfinished developments with residents living in them and particularly, any
developments that local authorities identified, for the purposes of the Local
Property Tax waiver, as in a seriously problematic condition.
Budget 2014 contained a provision for a once-off €10m Special Resolution
Fund. This fund will stimulate further private sector investment and construction
activity on developments that have, for reasons relating to deficiencies in the
developments, the unavailability of bond finance and related matters, not
been otherwise possible to bring to a resolution stage to date.
Leasing and NAMA
This Department, the Housing Agency and NAMA continued to work together
with housing authorities and AHBs in identifying suitable NAMA housing units
and bringing them into social housing use. By the end of December 2013, some
2,055 of the units identified by NAMA as being potentially suitable had been
confirmed by local authorities as being suitable for social housing. Completed
housing unit transfers from the NAMA loan portfolio stood at 492, with a further
104 units contracted where completion work was on-going. This brought the
overall total delivery of social housing from NAMA sourced units to 596 units
(completed or contracted) since the process began.
Mortgage arrears
The mortgage arrears resolution process, already in place in respect of
mortgages from private lenders, was implemented progressively across all local
authorities during 2013. In cases of acute mortgage distress, homeowners also
now have the option of seeking to avail of the legal process in place to deal
with personal insolvency.
On foot of the recommendations of the Keane Report on mortgage arrears, the
Government introduced a Mortgage-to-Rent scheme in June 2012, targeting
those low income families with mortgages from private lenders and whose
mortgage situation is unsustainable and where there is little or no prospect of a
significant change in circumstances in the foreseeable future. The Scheme
ensures that the family remains in their home, while ownership is transferred to
18
an AHB and the family becomes a tenant of the AHB. During 2013, the scheme
was piloted for local authority borrowers in mortgage arrears in County
Westmeath and Dublin City. On the basis of the successful pilot, the Local
Authority Mortgage to Rent Scheme was rolled out nationally in February 2014.
Building for the Future, A Voluntary Regulation Code for Approved Housing
Bodies in Ireland
On 15 July 2013, the Department launched the Voluntary Regulation Code for
the AHB sector. This document outlines the building blocks of a statutory
regulatory system and provides a context in which individual AHBs can sign up
to voluntary regulation and oversight. It sets out key governance,
management, measurement and financial principles that will apply to all AHBs
to some extent, depending on the size, scope, risk-level, etc., of the individual
AHB.
Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme
The Programme for Government 2011 commits to the establishment of a
tenancy deposit protection scheme to protect tenants’ deposits in the private
rented sector. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 will
provide the legislative basis for the establishment of a tenancy deposit
protection scheme. The Bill passed Report and Final stages in the Dáil in July
2013 and passed Second stage in the Seanad in September 2013.
National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability
Implementation of the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability
2011–2016 to support people with disabilities within communities with maximum
choice and independence continued during 2013.
Homelessness
The Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement was published on 21
February 2013. The Statement places an explicit emphasis on a housing-led
approach as the primary response to homelessness. The policy statement
contains a target to end long-term homelessness by the end of 2016.
 An Oversight Group was appointed by the Minister for Housing and Planning
to examine the approach being pursued in the Homelessness Policy
Statement, to review progress, identify obstacles and propose solutions.
 The Homelessness Oversight Group provided its First Report to the Minister for
Housing and Planning on 19 December 2013. The Group believes that the
goals of ending long term homelessness and the need to sleep rough can
be achieved by 2016. The Group's First Report focuses on the major
challenges that need to be overcome to speed up progress, and it identifies
the major blockages that hamper progress towards the key goals and
recommends how those blockages might be overcome.
19
 In line with the National Implementation Plan for the Homelessness Strategy,
a more devolved system for the provision of homelessness funding to
housing authorities was implemented nationally during 2013. Protocols were
agreed, with the lead housing authority in each of the nine homeless
regions, placing an emphasis on improving overall efficiency and value for
money and allowing greater local decision making in homeless services.
 The Minister for Housing and Planning hosted a roundtable discussion on
homelessness among her colleagues from other Member States on 1 March
in Leuven, Belgium, during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. It
was agreed that Member States and the Commission should work together
to strengthen coordination across a number of principles. The roundtable
was attended by representatives from 23 States and the Commission.
Architecture / Building Standards
In March 2013, the new Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2013 were
announced as the cornerstone in a suite of measures which aim to strengthen
the current arrangements for the control of building activity. The regulations,
which will come into operation on 1 March 2014, provide for statutory
certificates in respect of both design and construction, the lodgement of
compliance documentation as well as mandatory inspections during
construction. These requirements will bring improved accountability to bear in
our building industry.
The final quarter of 2013 saw this Department, together with the Departments of
the Finance and the Taoiseach, engage with representatives from Dublin City
Council, the Irish Banking Federation, the National Asset Management Agency,
the former residents of Priory Hall and other stakeholders on a proposed
resolution for Priory Hall residents and for the future of the complex. This process
led to agreement by the key stakeholders on a Framework Approach to
Resolution of Priory Hall Complex, the effective implementation of which will be
overseen by an implementation board chaired by Dr. Martin McAleese.
The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013, which was signed by the President in late
December, provides for the establishment of the Pyrite Resolution Board to
develop and oversee the implementation of a scheme to remediate dwellings
affected by damage attributable to pyritic heave. It is envisaged that the
pyrite Remediation Scheme will be adopted early in 2014, with applications
from affected homeowners being taken shortly thereafter.
In October, the Government approved initial funding of €10m for the roll-out of
the scheme in 2014 and 2015, with further funding to be provided following
consultation between Minister Hogan and Minister Howlin in the context of the
further stimulus package to be announced early in 2014. The initial phase of the
remediation programme will deal with the circa 1,000 dwellings which are
estimated to be in need of repair.
20
The Construction Products Regulation (known as the “CPR”), which lays down
harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products and repeals
the Construction Products Directive (89/106/EEC, known as the “CPD”), was
adopted in March 2011 and came into full effect from 1 July 2013.
It imposes new obligations and responsibilities on manufactures, importers and
distributors. In 2013, the Department concentrated its efforts on raising
awareness and highlighting the new obligations and requirements of the CPR
with relevant stakeholders (construction industry, representative bodies for
various groups including professionals, local authorities and other public
bodies).
The CPR requires the establishment of a Product Contact Point for Construction
(PCP) in each member state to provide information/guidance on national rules
and regulations. The Department is the designated Irish PCP and co-ordinates
the work of the PCP with assistance from a number of public body stakeholders.
21
Chapter 2: Water
High Level Objective
To protect and improve water resources, water-dependent ecosystems; to
provide water services infrastructure to support sustainable growth and
environmental protection, to introduce new governance and pricing
arrangements for the delivery and management of water services; and to
ensure the appropriate regulation of the water sector.
Water Quality
Continued progress was made in the legal, policy and implementation
frameworks to protect and improve water resources and water dependent
eco-systems during 2013 with

Additional staffing resources were secured for the EPA, from within the
overall ECF numbers for the Department and its agencies, to facilitate the
commencement of the 2nd cycle of river basin management planning in
2014.

Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme was reviewed during 2013, informed
by a DECLG and DAFM co-chaired Review Group and a full public
consultation process. Amendments to the programme were agreed with
the EU Commission at the end of 2013 which will allow Ireland’s nitrates
derogation to be put to a vote of the Nitrates Management Committee
meeting in February 2014.

Negotiations with D/AFM successfully led to targeted water quality
measures being included in the Rural Development Programme.
A very successful Informal meeting of Water and Marine Directors of the
European Union was held in Dublin in May 2013 and Ireland’s EU Presidency
successfully secured agreement on amendments to the Priority Substances in
the Water Framework Directive. Ireland acceded to the UN Convention on
Non-Navigational uses of Transboundary Watercourses (1997) in December
2013.
Ireland met its obligations under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(MSFD) to complete reports on an initial assessment of our marine waters, on
determination of Good Environmental Status and on the establishment of
environmental target and associated indicators. These reporting requirements
were completed and uploaded to the Commission website (EIONET) in April
2013. As part of this project, Ireland’s Marine Atlas was published online in
October 2013.
An EU Pilot Infringement proceeding (MSFD) which commenced against Ireland
in 2012 was closed by the Commission in 2013
22
Water Sector Reform
2013 was a critical year in delivering on the Government’s reform agenda for
the water sector. There are three planks to this reform agenda:

The establishment of Irish Water as an independent state-owned
company within the Bord Gáis Group, based on a public utility model;

The introduction of a new sustainable funding model, to support much
needed investment in water infrastructure, including the introduction of
usage-based domestic water charges; and

Independent economic regulation for water services, to be assigned to
the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which will set the rate of
water charges, scrutinise and approve Irish Water’s costs and protect
customers’ interests.
Work in 2013 saw significant progress on delivering on this reform agenda
including:
 Two pieces of water reformed related legislation enacted: the Water
Services (No.1) Act, in March 2013, and the Water Services (No.2) Act, in
December 2013.
 An order was made under the Water Services (No.2) Act, designating 1
January 2014 as the date upon which water services functions transferred
from local authorities to Irish Water/Uisce Éireann. As such Irish Water/Uisce
Éireann is now the water services authority, responsible for providing water
and wastewater services to households and businesses on the public
network, and for billing and collecting revenue from households, once
charges are introduced.
 The installation of water meters commenced in August 2013. Almost 80,000
meters had been installed by end 2013. Work will continue during 2014 on
this ambitious programme. The economic regulator of Irish Water, the
Commission for Energy Regulation, commenced public consultation on
issues of regulation of the water sector.
 Service level agreements commenced on 1 January 2014. Through these
agreements, local authorities provide certain water services on behalf of Irish
Water.
Water Services Investment Programme
By the end of the year over 250 of the contracts in the latest water services
investment programme had been completed and over 100 were in progress1.
The latest data available from authorities indicates that a total of 41 major
contracts – 30 water supply (including 13 water conservation) and 11
wastewater - were completed during 2013 and over 600 major
contracts/schemes have been completed since 2000. An estimated 300 km of
watermains has been replaced or repaired in the year under the water
conservation programme. From the 1 January 2014, following enactment of
1
This includes schemes at procurement stages
23
the Water Services (No.2) Act, 2013, responsibility for capital investment in
public water services became the responsibility of Irish Water.
Water conservation
It is estimated that some 13 contracts were completed in 2013. Indications from
local authorities are that mains replacement/rehabilitation will show an
increase on previous years with around 300 km of mains repaired or replaced in
2013.
The Water Services Investment Programme 2010 – 2013 builds on existing
investment in water conservation, which has seen over €270m spent on various
water conservation measures between 2003 and 2013.
Rural Water Programme
In 2013, work continued on the improvement of water quality in group water
schemes with private sources such as rivers, lakes and boreholes, on water
conservation and upgrade measures in existing group water schemes,
including schemes on public supplies, and on takeover of group water
schemes by local authorities. Funding was also provided for small scheme works
on public water and wastewater projects and for individual well grants.”
Septic Tanks
The ECJ Case on the Implementation of Waste Framework Directive in relation
to Septic Tanks and other Individual Treatment Systems (Court Case C-188/08)
was formally closed on 30 May 2013. Milestones included:
December 2012:
The Minister made an announcement in relation to the establishment of a grant
scheme to provide financial assistance to households, whose systems are
deemed, following inspection under the new legislation, to require substantial
remediation or upgrading. A condition of eligibility for grant aid is that the
system was registered by the prescribed date of 1 February 2013. The scheme
came into operation in July 2013, with the publication of Domestic Waste Water
Treatment Systems (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2013.
July 2013:
From July, local authorities began carrying out inspections in their functional
areas, according to the National Inspection Plan which was published by the
EPA in February 2013. Local authorities, in consultation with the EPA and the
department will review the inspection process on an on-going basis.
Marine Planning and Foreshore
The performance of statutory functions under the Foreshore Acts continued
during 2013, including the receipt of 35 new applications for consent and 34
decisions made in cases on hand. In February, the Department held a public
consultation on proposals to reform the foreshore consent system. The priority
drafting of the Maritime Area and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill was approved
24
by the Government in July. The General Scheme of the Bill was published in
October and was subjected to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas
Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht in November.
The Bill aims to integrate the foreshore consent system with the on-land
planning system operated by An Bord Pleanála and local authorities, and will
help to give effect to a number of Government commitments. The Bill also
contains provisions to eliminate the dual consent required for "Dumping at Sea"
applications, along with a number of technical amendments to the Dumping
at Sea regime operated by the Environmental Protection Agency, and
provisions in relation to gas storage and the designation of marine areas.
25
Chapter 3: Environment
High Level Objective
To promote the protection of the environment and human health, and
contribute to the development of a green economy and the global effort
against climate change, both directly and through ensuring the continued
integration of environmental and wider sustainable development
considerations into economic and sectoral policies.
International and EU Developments
The Department successfully led and advanced the environmental agenda
during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU, including successfully negotiating 8 First
Reading Agreements with the European Parliament on key policy dossiers like
the 7th Environment Action Programme, batteries, aviation emissions trading
scheme, ship recycling, CO2 from vans among others, and the endorsement of
Council Conclusions on a new Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and on
the Rio+20 Post 2015 Agenda. In addition to delivering on these strategic
policies, we also managed a very successful calendar of 16 Official Presidency
Events on environmental issues, including a meeting of EU Environment Ministers
in Dublin in April 2013.
At international level, the Irish Presidency team represented the EU at the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council in Nairobi in
February, progressed work on the development of Sustainable Development
Goals and secured global agreement on a legally binding instrument on
controlling the use of mercury. The first ever back-to-back Conferences on the
UN Conventions on Chemicals and Waste also took place in May under the Irish
Presidency, where over 40 important decisions were taken to improve
environmental protection in these areas.
Further progress was made during 2013 in addressing our compliance
obligations under EU law with on-time transposition of new Directives and
regulations and a reduction in the number of open environmental infringement
cases, for which the Department is responsible, to 8 by the end of the year.
Waste Policy and Resource Efficiency
2013 saw a lot of work and progress in respect of the Producer Responsibility
Initiative (PRI) Review. As part of this 2-year review process which will culminate
in new regulations and systems across a range of waste areas, the Department
published the Corporate Governance report and “A Packaging Levy for
Ireland” report in the autumn, with reports on Waste Tyres and End-of-Life
Vehicles subsequently published in November 2013. Public consultations were
facilitated on all these reports to inform the final policies recommended for
adoption and implementation.
26
In respect of implementation of a key plank of the Government’s National
Waste Policy “A Resource Opportunity”, three lead authorities for regional
waste management planning - which correspond with the regional structures
set out in the Government’s Action Programme for Effective Local Government
– were designated in June 2013. The reduction from 10 waste regions to 3 will
play an important role in the provision of effective and efficient delivery of
waste management service, with regional waste plans being drawn up in 2014.
In relation to the management of household waste, the Minister launched a
consultation paper on the Regulation of Household Waste in November 2013,
with a significant focus on the approach to household waste collection pricing
structures and the proposal to move the household waste collection sector to a
price per weight (per kg) charging system. Views received during the
consultation process are informing the development of the new regulatory
regime for household waste collection which will be established in the second
half of 2014.
The Department also established an inter-departmental working group to report
to Government with options to minimise the impact of waste charges on lowincome households. The Working Group, which comprises representatives of the
Departments of Environment, Community and Local Government; Social
Protection; Public Expenditure and Reform; Finance; and the Tánaiste's Office,
submitted its second report to Government in July 2013. Considering the range
of complex issues involved, the Government has asked the group to prepare a
further report which will be submitted in 2014.
In April 2013, the Minister introduced the European Union (Household Food
Waste and Bio-waste) Regulations 2013 which are designed to:
 promote the segregation and beneficial use of food waste arising in the
commercial sector;
 increase the amount of food waste that is recovered; and
 facilitate the achievement of targets set out in the Landfill Directive
(99/31/EC) regarding the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from
landfill sites, by directing source-segregated food waste to composting and
biogas plants and to other forms of treatment (other than incineration).
It is anticipated that these Regulations will increase the amount of food waste
recovered through the production of energy, compost and digestate, and in
doing so create new opportunities for added jobs and value, as well as
diverting such waste from landfill to composting and to other forms of
treatment.
In addition, to further reduce our reliance on landfill, the landfill levy was raised
by a further €10 per tonne from July 2013, bringing it up to €75 per tonne. This
increase is designed to further encourage the recycling of waste streams, and
27
to support the development of resource efficiency initiatives and business
opportunities.
In the area of waste enforcement, we completed a major review of waste
enforcement structures, with a number of recommendations outlined for the
delivery of enforcement functions into the future, on a lead authority basis.
Efforts to tackle littering have continued through negotiated agreements with
the chewing gum industry and the Irish Banking Federation, with the
Department also supporting other anti-litter initiatives and programmes
including An Taisce’s Annual Spring Clean, Protecting Urban and Rural
Environment (PURE) and Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL).
Remediation of licensed and unlicensed legacy landfills continued during 2013
at sites around the country, while substantial supports were also provided to
local authorities for the operation of the network of recycling and civic amenity
sites.
At EU level, the agreement on the new Batteries Directive during the Irish
Presidency of the EU in the first half of the year heralds an important step in the
development of safer, more energy efficient batteries that will benefit both
human health and the environment. The new Directive bans the use of
cadmium in cordless power tool batteries, and button cells containing mercury.
In addition, substantial progress was made on transposition of the new WEEE
Directive ahead of the deadline to transpose into national law in February 2014.
Aarhus Convention
The first National Implementation Report on the Aarhus Convention on Access
to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in
Environmental Matters was submitted to the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) in December 2013, following a robust six-month
public participation process in which best practice in public participation
methods were employed to ensure broad and effective consultation with all
stakeholders. It was encouraging that the process was commended by
environmental NGO’s and was cited as an example of best practice in Public
Consultation, a strong endorsement of our overall approach.
Sustainable Development
During 2013, the Department continued to monitor implementation of the 70
cross-government measures identified in the framework document, Our
Sustainable Future: A Framework for Sustainable Development for Ireland. A
mid-year progress update was compiled as part of this process.
A meeting of the associated High-Level Inter-Departmental Group was held in
February 2014 and considered progress made, obstacles encountered and
opportunities for further impact. Arising from these discussions, a report on
28
implementation of the Framework will be submitted to the Cabinet Committee
on Climate Change and the Green Economy.
Early in the year, Ireland ratified the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary
Protocol (NKLSP) on Liability and Redress which provides international rules and
procedure on liability and redress for damage to biodiversity, resulting from
living modified organisms (LMOs, better known as Genetically Modified
Organisms - GMOs). The NKLSP complements the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety and was adopted by the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena
Protocol in October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan.
Radiation policy and Air Quality
The National Radon Control Strategy Group, established to develop a National
Strategy to address the effects of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas
that increases the risk of lung cancer, finalised its work on a National Radon
Control Strategy which was published by the Minister at the National Radon
Forum in February 2014.
Significant progress was also made by the National Implementation Committee
on the national radioactive waste reduction programme in 2013. Ireland has
gone from having over 3,300 disused radioactive sources (with a half-life
greater than ten years) held by 63 licensees, to 31 sources held by 11 licensees,
representing a 99% reduction in the total number of these sources. In
conjunction with this, Minister Hogan signed the Radiological Protection Act
1991 (Responsible and Safe Management of Radioactive Waste) Order 2013
(S.I. 320 of 2013) in August 2013, transposing into Irish law the EU Directive
2011/70/Euratom which establishes a Community framework for the responsible
and safe management of spent fuel and radio-active waste.
Under our EU Presidency, Ireland achieved substantive agreement by the EU
Council Atomic Question Working Group (AQWG) on the re-cast Basic Safety
Standard Directive which was formally adopted by the European Council in
December 2013. In addition, the proposal for a new EU Regulation on
fluorinated greenhouse gases was substantively progressed and agreement on
a final text was reached towards the end of the year, under the Lithuanian EU
Presidency.
In relation to air quality, in recognition of the EU’s 2013 Year of Air, Ireland
hosted an Air Science Policy Forum in Farmleigh during April that brought
together a target audience of experts, advisers and policy makers from across
the EU, to raise awareness of the continuing need to further develop and
strengthen EU and national policies to improve air quality, based upon the most
up to date scientific understanding of the issues and promoting cohesion with
related briefs such as climate change, transport, energy and agriculture policy.
The Forum discussions fed into the development of the EU’s Clean Air Policy
Package that was published in December.
29
On the domestic front, the ban on the marketing, distribution, sale or use of
bituminous solid fuels (also known as the ‘smoky coal ban’) was extended to 7
new towns with effect from May 2013 – Greystones, Letterkenny, Mullingar,
Navan, Newbridge, Portlaoise and Wicklow. The ban now applies in 26 areas,
including all towns with a population greater than 15,000 people. This gives
further effect to an EPA recommendation to extend the clean air benefits of
the ban to all urban areas. EPA monitoring data has previously demonstrated
that air quality has notably improved in towns where a ban has been
introduced, with proven benefits for human health. Detailed maps of each of
the 26 ban areas can be found on the Department’s website.
Agreement was also reached at the North South Ministerial Council on terms of
reference for a joint study on air quality and emissions from residential solid fuel,
with the aim of informing policy options for improving air quality on an all-island
basis. A request for tender to undertake the study issued in November. A final
report on the findings and recommendations of the study will be due in Autumn
2014.
Climate Policy
The Programme for the development of National Climate Policy and
Legislation, published in January 2012, advanced significantly over the course
of 2013 and will be completed in 2014. A key milestone was the Outline Heads
of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Bill which, together with
comprehensive policy analysis undertaken by the Secretariat to the National
Economic and Social Committee, were released in February 2013. The primary
objective of the Bill will be to provide for the State to pursue and achieve
transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable
economy in the period to 2050. In addition to addressing transparency on
progress under the Policy Development Programme, the outline Heads and
analysis were considered by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the
Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, which itself undertook a wide-ranging
consultation process, before issuing its report in November 2013. Having regard,
inter alia, to the Joint Committee’s report, the Minister has committed to
finalising and publishing the Heads of the Bill in 2014.
In parallel with development of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon
Development Bill, greenhouse gas mitigation remains a priority and policy in this
regard advanced through the new low-carbon roadmapping process, initiated
in December 2012. The main focus in 2013 was on mitigation at a sectoral level,
and centred on addressing emissions in the key areas of electricity generation,
transport, agriculture and the built environment. This sectoral-level work will
provide a substantive element of the foundation for the first National LowCarbon Roadmap, a draft of which will be released, together with a draft
Strategic Environment Assessment, for a substantial period of open consultation
in 2014. The national roadmap will respond to the primary objective of the Bill
and provide a policy outlook to 2050.
30
Chapter 4: Local Government and Franchise
High Level Objective
To shape, develop and support local government to represent and serve
communities effectively and efficiently.
To develop policy, legislation and systems as key elements of electoral reform.
Local Government Reform / Modernisation
Significant progress was achieved during 2013 in implementing the
Government’s local government reform programme announced in the Action
Programme for Effective Local Government: Putting People First, in October
2012. In particular, the Local Government Bill 2013, providing for the reform of
local government structures, functions, governance and related matters, was
published in October 2013 and had progressed to an advanced stage through
the Oireachtas by year end.
Work on the merger of local authorities in Limerick and Tipperary, overseen by
the Department, continued in 2013 in accordance with Implementation Plans
completed in June and December 2012. An implementation group to direct
preparatory work and initial implementation of the reorganisation process in
Waterford reported in June 2013. An Interim Dual Manager was appointed in
both Tipperary and Waterford in November and December 2013, respectively,
to lead the merger process in those areas in addition to the Dual Manager
already in place in Limerick.
The Department engaged closely with local authorities and the local authority
representative associations, the Association of County and City Councils and
the Association of Municipal Authorities in Ireland, during 2013 regarding
implementation arrangements, including the drafting of legislation, for local
government reorganisation.
The independently chaired Implementation Group, which includes private
sector expertise, established to drive and oversee the implementation of the
recommendations of the Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review
Group (LGER) submitted its second Progress Report to the Minister. This was
published in July 2013. The County and City Managers’ Association (CCMA), in
its input to the Report, confirmed total savings of €839m since the beginning of
the economic downturn in 2008. In the period since the preparation of the
LGER Report (2010 to end 2012), the savings achieved and projected were
reported at €561m. This included €229m (already more than half the €346m
identified as potential direct efficiency savings in the LGER Report) attributed to
efficiency measures (as opposed to reduction in activity) in the years 2010 to
the end of 2012. The majority of the efficiency savings identified related to
staffing reductions and procurement. The Group and the CCMA prioritised the
31
implementation of key recommendations relating to procurement, ICT, human
resources/staffing and shared services as areas with potential to yield the
optimum level of savings in regard to the implementation of the efficiency
agenda within the sector.
An independently chaired group was tasked to carry out a review of the
staffing complement and number of senior managers in Cork City Council.
Their report and recommendations, together with the Cork City Council
Workforce Plan 2010 – 2014 were submitted to the Minister and published in
April 2013.





The national rollout of the www.fixyourstreet.ie website is now complete
and since 1 January 2013, members of the public have been able to
report issues for the attention of any local authority. www.fixyourstreet.ie
consists of a publicly accessible web site with associated mobile
technologies on which non-emergency issues such as graffiti, road
defects, issues with street lighting, water leaks/drainage issues, and litter
or illegal dumping can be reported. Currently www.fixyourstreet.ie
supports the Android mobile phone platform, and an iPhone version is
under development. The web site itself www.fixyourstreet.ie is mobile
enabled which gives a simple interface for viewing and reporting issues
through the mobile phone web browser.
The objective of the initiative is that issues raised on www.fixyourstreet.ie
are responded to within 2 working days.
In respect of 2013, the average response time is 3.87 working days. 14
local authorities achieved a response time of less than 2 working days
with a further 6 local authorities responding in between 2 and 3 working
days. As 2013 was the first year of the national rollout of FixYourStreet, a
number of authorities have struggled with ensuring the initial response has
been recorded on the fix your street website. This may be doing a
disservice to the actual activities on the ground (given the reduced
staffing complement in the sector), however is the only measure
available to the FixYourStreet web site.
It is evident from the 2014 current reports (based on previous month
activities) that there is a marked improvement in the ability of councils to
respond to the reports on the fix your street site. (For example, in one 4
week period, the average response time was 19 hours).
In 2013, a total of 9,796 reports were accepted by the service, with litter
and illegal dumping being the most reported category at 45% of the
reports, and road or path defects the second most reported category at
24%.
Motor Tax
At the end of 2013, there were 2.48m vehicles on Irish roads, a 3.3% increase
from 2.4m at the end of 2012. Motor tax revenue increased by 7.8% in 2013 to
€1.1bn. The increase was due to a combination of the motor tax increases
announced in Budget 2013 and the closing off of a loophole in the procedures
32
for declaring a vehicle off the road. Of the 2013 revenue, a sum of €100m was
transferred to the Exchequer from the Local Government Fund as a measure
towards reduction of the national deficit.
CO2 emissions became the basis for motor tax for private vehicles registered
from 01 July 2008. By December 2013, the CO2 fleet contained 538,604 cars, or
just over 28% of all private vehicles. While 77% of the overall CO 2 fleet is in the
lowest emitting A and B bands, 94% of the cars first taxed in 2013 are in the A
and B bands, reflecting the fact that more environmentally friendly cars are
coming on to the market.
Agencies under the aegis of the Department
The number of staff employed by agencies under the aegis of the Department
fell to 696 by the end of 2013, compared to a peak of 951 at the end of 2008 –
a reduction of 255.
The Reform/Efficiency Agenda, as outlined in the Public Sector Reform Plan, is
being implemented by the Agencies under the aegis of the Department.
Work on the dissolution of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, in line
with the Government decision of 29 May 2012, continued in 2013 with a view to
enacting legislation to dissolve the Authority during 2014.
Under the rationalisation programme, work in relation to the amalgamation of
the Environmental Protection Agency with the Radiological Protection Institute
of Ireland was progressed during the year, with the merger to be completed in
2014.
Local Authority Superannuation
A voluntary redundancy scheme for local authority employees was introduced
in July 2013. The aim of the Scheme is to achieve a permanent reduction in the
workforce of local authorities from 2013 onwards in line with the
recommendations of the workforce study and the Action Programme for
Effective Local Government: Putting People First.
Approximately 620
applications were approved by local authorities, with 390 staff departing in
2013 and a further 230 due to leave in 2014.
The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management
During 2013, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management,
through its Management Board and Consultative Committee, maintained its
commitment to achieving continuous service improvement with a particular
emphasis on safety in fire service operations.
The National Directorate, in partnership with fire authorities, achieved progress
in advancing two major policy initiatives in the local government sector:
 Keeping Communities Safe (KCS) was published as national policy in
February 2013. KCS addresses some long-standing issues (e.g., standards,
33
consistency of approach and value for money) in the fire services and is the
outcome of a wide ranging review of operational activities which included
stakeholder consultation and engagement with technical organisations.
The process of taking the policy forward in fire authorities is being assisted by
a series of subject-specific guidance documents, of which a number have
been completed in 2013. These deal with fire service training and Managing
Safety in Fire Services. KCS recommends a “shared services” approach
which will see the number of service delivery units fall from the current 30 to
21.
 CAMP (Computer Aided Mobilisation Project) – the Next Generation sets out
a plan to move from the current first-generation, Regional Communications
Centres which take 999/112 calls for assistance from the public to a single
national system with three nodes, using the Department of Public
Expenditure and Reform sponsored TETRA radio platform as the bearer.
The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management represents
Ireland on the European Council Working Party on Civil Protection (PROCIV)
and the European Commission-managed Civil Protection Committee. Ireland
therefore chaired PROCIV during the Irish EU Presidency. There was an informal
meeting of Directors General for Civil Protection in Dublin Castle on 22/23 May
2013. While matters arose in the areas of Critical Infrastructure Protection, the
implementation of the Solidarity Clause of the Lisbon Treaty and Crisis
Coordination Arrangements, the main focus of PROCIV during the Irish
Presidency was on draft legislation for a new Union Civil Protection Mechanism
and consistent progress was made enabling the proposal to be adopted later
in the year. The legislation came into force on 1st January 2014. Compliance
will improve our domestic disaster prevention, preparedness and response
through better planning and training.
The Central Training Programme provided 10 courses and five seminars to
supplement training arranged by fire authorities.
Franchise
The Franchise Section continued its role of developing and overseeing a
modern, efficient, accessible and fair electoral system through the
development and implementation of policy and legislation and by supporting
the electoral process.
The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013, enacted on 20
March 2013, gives statutory effect to the recommendations in the Constituency
Commission Report 2012. It provides for a reduction to 158 in the total number
of members of Dáil Éireann, for the revision of Dáil constituencies and for the
number of members to be elected for such constituencies.
The Electoral, Local Government and Planning and Development Act 2013,
enacted on 22 July 2013, gives effect to new EU requirements in relation to
34
nomination procedures for non-National candidates that will apply at the
European Parliament elections in 2014. The Act also changed electoral law in
other areas – details are set out in Appendix 1.
The European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2013, published on 2
December 2013, was enacted on 5 February 2014. The Act gives statutory
effect to the recommendations in the Report on European Parliament
Constituencies 2013. It provides for an arrangement of constituencies for the
election of 11 members of the European Parliament in Ireland for the 2014-2019
parliamentary term.
A number of Statutory Instruments and Orders were made in 2013 to facilitate
the development of the legislative framework and the conduct of elections
and referendums. These are listed in Appendix 1.
Two applications for verification by the Minister of statements of support
collected in Ireland in relation to European Citizens Initiatives were received in
2013. The verification process for the first of these Initiatives, relating to a right to
water, was finalised during 2013. The verification process for the second
Initiative received, relating to protection of the dignity, the right to life and of
the integrity of every human being from conception, was in progress at year
end.
Franchise Section provided the necessary administrative support to the Local
Electoral Area Boundary Committee, established on 15 November 2012, to
enable it to make its report to the Minister on 29 May 2013.
Franchise Section provided administrative support to the European Parliament
Constituencies Committee which reported to the Chairman of the Dáil on 25
September 2013.
The Department ensured that the necessary framework and other operational
arrangements were in place for the two referendums held in 2013 on proposals
to amend the Constitution contained in the Thirty-second Amendment of the
Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013 and the Thirty-third
Amendment of the Constitution (Court of Appeal) Bill 2013. The Department
also provided the necessary support to the Referendum Returning Officer.
35
Chapter 5: Communities and Rural Development
High Level Objective
To facilitate integrated development at local level and to foster vibrant,
sustainable and inclusive communities; to support the Community and
Voluntary Sector in its contribution to an active, democratic and pluralist
society.
Local Government/Local Development Alignment
Work commenced on implementing the recommendations in this area set out
in Putting People First – Action Programme for Effective Local Government in
October 2012.
An Alignment Working Group (AWG), chaired by the
Department and comprising representatives the City and County Managers
Association, the Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) and Pobal, was
established to assist and advise on implementation issues.
A key focus for the AWG in 2013 was the introduction of ‘frontrunner’ or pilot
Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in a number of local
authority areas. Their purpose was to explore and trial approaches to LCDC
operation and to capture learning to inform the full roll-out of LCDCs across all
local authority areas in 2014, and by year end, five had been established.
Legislation to underpin the establishment of LCDCs in all local authority areas
was introduced in October 2013 and enacted in the Local Government Reform
Act 2014.
A number of measures aimed at strengthening the cross-government
approach to local and community development were advanced, including
establishment of an Inter-Departmental Group on Local and Community
Development and scoping work on the development of common impact
assessment framework for local and community development programmes.
Community & Voluntary Supports & Programmes
North South EU co-funded Programmes
The Department continued its support for a number of EU co-funded
programmes under the 2007-2013 programming round. This included the
provision of grants to projects in the cross-border region totalling €20.8m under
PEACE III (Programme for Peace and Reconciliation) and €2.5m under
INTERREG IVA (Cross-Border Territorial Co-operation Programme for Northern
Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland).
Scheme to Support National Community & Voluntary Organisations
Funding of €3.6m was disbursed to 63 Community and Voluntary organisations
as a contribution to their core costs and overheads under the ‘Supporting
Citizen Engagement’ policy.
36
Volunteering/Community&Voluntary Fora
During 2013, €0.5m was provided to 34 Community and Voluntary Fora
throughout the country to support the fora in organising meetings,
communicating information and providing capacity building/training for Forum
members, particularly those representing the socially excluded.
€2.9m was also provided to advance a range of measures that support
volunteering and active citizenship. This include funding a network of twenty
one Volunteer Centres (North Dublin City and South Dublin City are in the
process of merging into a single Dublin City Volunteer Centre serving Dublin City
as a whole) and the associated organisations of Volunteer Ireland, Young
Social Innovators, Focus Ireland, Boardmatch and Chambers Ireland.
Social Partnership
Under the Scheme for Social Partnership, which provides funding for the
Community and Voluntary Pillar, €0.6m was provided to 17 Social Partnership
organisations to cover costs directly related to their contribution to policymaking in the social partnership process.
Dormant Accounts Funding
The Government approved a new Dormant Accounts Disbursement Scheme
covering the period December 2013 to November 2016. This will allow for the
implementation of a Dormant Accounts action plan for 2014 and subsequent
years and for the continuation of funding supporting the labour force activation
measures in local authorities in conjunction with the Department of Social
Protection.
Forum on Philanthropy and Fundraising
The Department continues to support the Forum on Philanthropy and
Fundraising in implementing the recommendations of its report launched in July
2012. The ‘National Giving Campaign, the one percent difference’, has been
launched and the Social Innovation Fund has been set up under the
Companies Acts.
Seniors Alert Scheme
The Scheme, administered by local community and voluntary groups, provides
grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored
alarms to enable persons over 65, of limited means, to continue to live securely
in their homes.
Grant assistance in the amount of €2.3m was provided to 575 local Community
and Voluntary Groups in 2013 under the Seniors Alert Scheme and 10,597
beneficiaries received monitored units as a result.
Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP)
The Programme continued to provide funding to Local Development
Companies (LDCs) and a small number of alternative local development
37
bodies for the delivery of the LCDP in 2013. The LCDP aims to tackle poverty
and social exclusion through partnership and constructive engagement
between Government and its agencies and people in disadvantaged
communities.
In 2013, €47.7m was spent under the programme, a reduction of over €6m in
expenditure from the previous year. Despite this reduction, provisional
information from the Integrated Reporting and Information System (IRIS) shows
that the programme performed very well during 2013. An examination of the
data for 2013 (comparable actual output figures for 2012 are in brackets) shows
that:




49,790(47,792) persons were assisted in 2013;
17,699(17,119) beneficiaries participating in education;
19,711(16,832) beneficiaries participating in labour market training; and
7,419(7,054) supported into employment, including 5,000 into selfemployment.
A Mid-Term Review of the programme was finalised during 2013. The main aims
of the review were, inter alia: to evaluate performance of the programme to
date against national programme indicators and to examine the current
validity of the LCDP objectives and/or outcomes and their compatibility with
the overall strategy of the Department and Programme for Government. The
Review has made a number of findings in relation to the performance and
operation of LCDP and makes a number of recommendations on
refining/reshaping the programme.
As the LCDP came to an end on the 31st December 2013, it was agreed that
transitional arrangements would apply in 2014, to facilitate the redesign of the
programme and to allow for the establishment of the Local Community
Development Committees (LCDCs) in line with enhancing the role of local
government in local and community development. Management of current
contracts and Programme oversight will transfer to the LCDCs from 1 July next.
However, existing contracts for the LCDP will remain in place until the end of
2014. The redesigned Programme will see a renewed emphasis on targeting the
harder to reach individuals and communities and will roll out from January 2015.
Rural Development: EU and National
LEADER elements Rural Development Programme Ireland 2007-2013
The main aims of the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme
(RDP) are to improve the quality of life in rural areas and facilitate the
diversification of the rural economy.
In 2013, the Programme recorded expenditure of over €80m, bringing total
expenditure under the programme to €245m. Funding was provided to a range
of innovative and sustainable projects across the country. In all, some 2,759
projects were funded. This funding continued to provide valuable support to
38
rural communities in a very difficult economic environment with the aim of
creating and maintaining vibrant rural communities that can provide solid
foundations for economic growth into the future.
Enterprise support funding was provided to 2,404 enterprises in 2013 resulting in
the creation of 1,110 full-time jobs. Investment in small scale infrastructural
projects in villages and small towns also continued in 2013, with 1,301 villages
and communities benefiting from capital enhancement works.
Financial Management, Internal Audit and Risk Assessment:
Inspection Services Section provided an accredited control system for the
EAFRD co-funded Rural Development Programme 2007 – 2013 by conducting
ex-ante On the Spot Controls and ex-post checks on programme expenditure
in accordance with EU Regulations. In addition, the Section implement an
Inspection programme for those Schemes and Programmes that are funded
totally by the National Exchequer, and implemented by the Community
Division, to meet the requirements of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA)
The Rural Development Section of the Department supported the Minister for
Environment, Community and Local Government, the Minister for Agriculture,
Food and the Marine, Teagasc and the Western Development Commission
(WDC) in the work of the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural
Areas (CEDRA). The aim of the Commission was to carry out an extensive public
consultation and research exercise on the future economic potential of rural
Ireland in order to identify how best to channel funding and resources between
2013 and 2025.
The most significant element of the Commission’s work was the consultation
process conducted between January and June 2013. The exercise consisted of
three separate elements: a number of public meetings; meetings with relevant
stakeholders and experts; and a written submission process that involved the
completion of an online questionnaire and/or written submissions.
The process identified a diverse and complex series of issues and challenges
that the Commission considers need to be addressed in order to support the
future economic development of rural Ireland. The final report was submitted
to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in
November 2013 for his consideration, which was published in early 2014.
Rural Recreation
Implementation of the Walks Scheme continued in 2013 on 40 trails involving
1,811 landholder participants.
Service Level Agreements with 12 Local Development Companies (LDCs) were
in place during 2013 for the delivery of an expanded range of rural recreation
39
services including the implementation of relevant objectives of the National
Countryside Recreation Strategy.
The Department facilitated the bringing together of key State landholders
including Coillte, National Parks and Wildlife Service, ESB, Waterways Ireland,
Inland Fisheries Ireland, CIE and Bord na Mona in order to secure agreement to
develop a National Outdoor Recreational Plan for Public Lands and Waters. The
draft agreement is close to conclusion.
Western Development Commission (WDC)
The WDC is responsible for the operation of the Western Investment Fund (WIF),
a managed fund which contributes to the development of the region by
investing through equity or loans in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and
community enterprises to support business development and employment. The
WDC invests on commercial terms and all investments are repayable. To end
2103, €31.7m of exchequer funding was made available to the WIF.
In 2013, the WDC provided investment funds totalling €2.3m to 18 enterprises.
The total number of people employed in WDC supported enterprises is 1,600,
with that number expected to grow to over 2,500 as the companies supported
develop and grow. The WIF, to date, has invested in 108 enterprises. The WDC
expects to disburse circa €3m in 2014, bringing the total investment by the WIF
to almost €45m, equating to some €14.3m which had been repaid to the WIF by
the end of 2013 since its establishment. The WDC is currently fully reliant on its
revolved funds.
CLÁR
In 2013, the CLÁR Programme invested €0.106m, which supported 24 Sports
Capital projects and 2 Gaeltacht and Community projects. This Programme is
currently being wound down.
Rural Development Fund (RDF)
The RDF provided €22,507 in 2013 towards residual payments under the Clones
Regeneration Project and expenditure relating to the Commission for Economic
Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA).
Local Government Community Services
Local Government Community Services encompasses areas such as Irish Water
Safety, Dog Control issues, Burial Ground Regulations and the Certification of
Safety of Fairground Equipment.
The burial ground rules and regulations were amended in 2013 to allow burials
to take place in specified areas without the need for coffins. This change
followed concerns expressed by members of the Muslim community regarding
their traditional burial rituals and was the first change in these rules since 1929.
40
Tidy Towns
The competition continues as one of the great community and environmental
initiatives in the country. 2013 marked its 55th consecutive year in existence. It
continues to attract over 800 entries annually from communities throughout
Ireland. Largely driven by volunteerism, it has transformed the face of our
country and engendered great spirit and pride in local communities, making
them better places to visit, live, work and do business in.
41
Chapter 6: Planning
High Level Objective
To provide an enhanced policy and legislative framework to promote
sustainable economic growth and balanced regional development, in
compliance with a strong planning code and environmental obligations.
Planning Policy and Legislation
The enhancement of the planning policy and legislative framework in order to
ensure the continued delivery of plan-led planning policy underpinning good
planning outcomes was advanced through the continued delivery of
consistency between national, regional and local plans. This will underpin a
plan-led approach to development and achieve sustainable planning
outcomes through the co-ordinated delivery of key enabling infrastructure,
particularly through:
 On-going engagement with Regional and Local Authorities, including
through the Regional Planning Guidelines National Steering Committee on
the implementation of the Regional Planning Guidelines 2010-2022;
 On-going engagement on planning matters with the County and City
Managers’ Association (CCMA) Planning and Land Use and Transportation
Committee;
 Two Ministerial Directions issued under Section 31 of the Planning and
Development Act 2000 (as amended), directing a planning authority to take
specified measures where the planning authority had ignored or not taken
sufficient account of the Minister’s statutory observations (83 such
observations were made in 2013); and
 The Planning and Development of Large-Scale Rail Focused Areas in Dublin
(May 2013) research report, conducted jointly between the Department
and the National Transport Authority, assessed the issues impacting on the
development of strategic areas adjacent to key public transport corridors,
including in particular the emerging pressures to develop these areas on a
lower density basis, and to propose potential solutions to enable the viable
development of these areas over the longer term.
 A series of planning related legislative amendments and integration of
strategic planning in the:
o Electoral, Local Government and Planning & Development Act, 2013;
o Local Government Reform Act 2014; and
o Water Services (No.2) Act 2013.
The continued rollout and monitoring of the regulatory regime for quarries
under section 261A of the Planning Act 2000, under which planning authorities
were required, in 2012, to assess whether development in particular quarries
had taken place in breach of the EIA Directive or the Habitats Directive, and to
require applications for substitute consent, or enforcement notices to be issued,
depending on the planning history of the quarry. Data on the results of the
42
assessment, in more than 2,000 quarries, was collected and placed on the
Department’s website. Further Guidance was issued to planning authorities
under section 28 of the Act. In consultation with industry, planning authorities
and An Bord Pleanála implementation issues were identified and draft
Regulations developed to provide solutions to such issues. It is hoped to make
these Regulations in 2014.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2013 provide for
exemptions from planning (subject to certain conditions) for charging points for
electric vehicles, certain remedial works carried out on septic tanks, and
certain structures provided by a statutory undertaker authorised to provide a
telecommunications service. This was in furtherance of the Department’s policy
of achieving the least regulatory burden consistent with the proper assessment
of development consent proposals.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2013 made
Irish Water a statutory consultee for plans and projects under the Planning and
Development Act 2000, as amended.
An unofficial consolidation of the Planning Regulations was completed,
covering all amendments made since the original Planning and Development
Regulations 2001. This is available on the Department’s website.
Establishment of a successor NSS Scoping Group (in August 2013) comprised of
three experts2 with extensive experience of spatial planning and economic and
social development, to prepare a short scoping report on a successor to the
current NSS in order to inform proposals Ministers intend to bring to Government
on the roadmap to develop a new planning framework as a successor to the
current NSS.
The agreement of Government (in May 2013) on proposals for the preparation
of a new Planning and Development Bill to establish a new Office of the
Planning Regulator (OPR), in line with the recommendation contained in the
Final Report of the Mahon Tribunal, to carry out independent appraisal of
regional and local level statutory plans prepared and adopted under the
Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, namely, development
plans, local area plans, regional planning guidelines etc.
Planning Guidelines
The Local Area Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities (June 2013), and
accompanying non-statutory Manual for Local Area Plans, are the first set of
guidelines published to assist planning authorities deliver on their mandatory
obligations to prepare local area plans since the concept of local area plans
was introduced in legislation in 2000. The Guidelines highlight the particular
importance of building a strong consensus for local area plans through local
2
The three experts are Sean Dorgan, former chief executive of IDA Ireland and former Secretary General of two Government
Departments, Dr Berna Grist, who is a barrister, planner, and academic, and a former member of An Bord Pleanála, and Jim
McKinnon, former Chief Planner in Scotland.
43
consultation ensuring more community planning with ownership of the local
area plan-making process firmly centred on the local authority as opposed to
developer-led planning.
The Department commenced a public consultation (in December 2013) on
proposed ‘draft’ revisions to the Wind Energy Development Guidelines for
Planning Authorities (2006) focusing specifically on the issues of noise (setting a
more stringent absolute noise limit), setbacks (providing a mandatory setback
of 500 metres between a wind turbine and the nearest dwelling for amenity
considerations) and shadow flicker (providing that a condition be attached to
all future planning permissions for wind farms to ensure that there will be no
shadow flicker at any dwelling within 10 rotor diameters of a wind turbine).
The Development Contributions Guidelines (January 2013) principal aim is to
provide non-statutory guidance on the drawing up of development
contribution schemes to reflect the significant economic changes that have
impacted across all sectors since guidance last issued in 2007. While the
adoption of development contribution schemes is a reserved function of the
elected members of each planning authority, one of the objectives of the new
guidance is to achieve a greater level of consistency in development
contribution schemes on a national basis, providing enhanced clarity to inform
investment decisions across different local authority areas. The guidelines also
aim to prioritise job creation and economic investment as a key feature of the
new guidance which include a requirement for planning authorities to establish
reduced rates of contribution for projects such as developments in town
centres, IDA/Enterprise Ireland projects, and broadband and sustainable
energy infrastructure
The Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS) was launched jointly
by the Department together with the Department of Transport, Tourism and
Sport on 25 March 2013. The Manual outlines practical design measures to
support and encourage more sustainable travel patterns in urban areas and
provides guidance relating to the design of urban roads and streets. It won the
Irish Planning Institute Transportation Planning Award and overall National
Planning Award and will have the opportunity to represent Ireland in the
European Urban & Regional Planning Achievement Awards to be held in
Autumn 2014.
The non-statutory Framework for Co-operation Spatial Strategies of Northern
Ireland & the Republic of Ireland (June 2013) sets out the approach to be taken
both by the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Irish Government in cooperating in the implementation of their respective spatial strategies.
EIA Directive
The European Commission brought forward a proposal for a revised
Environmental Impact Assessment Directive in October 2012. Under Ireland’s
Presidency of the EU, a compromise text was developed, taking account of the
44
views of the Member States in relation to the Commission proposal. This text
formed the basis for the text finally agreed with the European Parliament under
the Lithuanian EU Presidency in December 2013.
A number of other achievements come under the heading of Environmental
impact Assessment as follows:
 Guidelines for Planning Authorities and An Bord Pleanála on the carrying out
Environmental Impact Assessment when assessing development consent
proposals were issued in March 2013.
 The European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats)
(Section 181 of the Planning And Development Act 2000) Regulations 2013
(SI 403 of 2013) were signed on 21 October 2013, which permit fast track
applications to An Bord Pleanála for urgent environmental remediation
works and facilitated the making of such an application for such works at
the Ispat site in Haulbowline. Draft Regulations were prepared to better
implement the Directive in respect of deep drilling.
 A survey of large peat extraction sites was carried out in response to
concerns about environmental impact assessment and peat extraction, as a
precursor to the development of proposals to better regulate this sector.
SEA Directive
The Department continued its role in delivery of SEA Effectiveness Review in
Ireland Action Plan 2012-2016, in conjunction with EPA and other statutory
Environmental Authorities, including serving as rotating chair of SEA Forum of
Environmental Authorities established to oversee implementation of the Action
Plan and promote overall compliance with the requirements of the SEA
Directive and Regulations. The Action Plan was jointly formulated by the
statutory environmental authorities with the overall objective of prioritising
implementation of the key findings and recommendations of the Review of
Effectiveness of SEA in Ireland 2012 commissioned by the EPA.
An Bord Pleanála
An Bord Pleanála continued to reduce its case processing times for planning
appeals. A comprehensive Service Level Agreement was signed between the
Board and the Department in May 2013, which includes specific case
processing targets and monthly reporting requirements on case processing,
expenditure and other corporate governance issues. An initial capital funding
allocation was also agreed to commence work on a new case management
ICT system, which it is intended will facilitate the provision of more online
services to reduce the need for customers to visit An Bord Pleanála offices to
access planning documentation.
Gateway and Hubs Development Index
The Gateway and Hubs Development Index 2012, published by the regional
assemblies in conjunction with the Department, represents an examination of
Ireland’s key urban centres across a range of performance indicators. The
Index provides a unique opportunity to observe and understand how gateways
45
and hubs are developing including in times of economic challenge and will
provide a valuable resource for further policy-making.
Myplan.ie
Myplan.ie provides the public with a wealth of spatial planning information and
data, including zonings in the over 400 Development and Local Area Plans.
Currently it is being accessed by 600 to 1200 visitors each working day, over 80%
of which are repeat visitors. Over the coming years the service will be
enhanced and extended to provide access to additional planning information,
such as details regarding planning applications and appeals, and the stages
through which plans progress during the plan making process. Usage is
expected to increase as more planning information is made available.
46
Chapter 7: Met Éireann
High Level Objective
Effective monitoring, analysis and prediction of Ireland's weather and climate,
and provision of a range of high quality meteorological services to customers
Forecast Division
Forecast Division continued its primary task of delivering a wide range of
forecast and warning services through its offices in Glasnevin, Dublin; Shannon
Airport,
Co
Clare
and
RTÉ,
Donnybrook, Dublin.
Specific Warnings Number of days in
operation
Through the year, Gale Warnings
(warnings of winds in offshore Sea
Areas of Beaufort Force 8 or greater)
were in operation over coastal waters
and/or the Irish Sea for a total of
2,497 hours (about 28% of the time),
while Small Craft Warnings (warnings
of winds of Beaufort Force 6 or
greater) for waters up to 10 nautical
miles offshore were in operation for a
total of 4,423 hours (just over 50% of
the time).
Fog
1
High Temperature
10
Frost
/
Low 37
Temperature
Rain
35
Snow
11
Thunder
56
Wind
51
Blight Conditions
29(days)
2013 saw the re-launch of the Met Éireann weather warnings system, with
warnings now categorised as Yellow / Orange / Red as appropriate. The Red
level corresponds to the old “Severe Weather Warning” and two such warnings
were issued in 2013, both in December during a prolonged and intense stormy
period. Additional specific warnings of particular weather conditions were
issued as outlined in the adjacent table. The Division continued to provide the
Met Éireann contribution to the web-based, European-wide, MeteoAlarm
system, providing warnings of specified severe weather conditions in and
around Ireland.
Public Weather Services incorporate the issue of routine forecasts through the
media; during the year over 4,000 such forecast texts were issued, in addition to
approx. 1,800 live radio broadcasts on RTÉ Radio One and 3,300 television
weather bulletins on RTÉ One Television.
The Division contributes daily forecasts, looking five days ahead and for eight
locations in Ireland, to the World Weather Information System co-ordinated by
the World Meteorological Organisation. This web-based weather information
47
portal provides easy access to official, definitive forecasts and warnings
collected from National Meteorological Services worldwide.
Throughout the year, Division staff attended meetings of the Government Task
Force on Emergency Planning, Inter-Departmental Working Group, Marine
Safety Working Group, RPII and the EPA Air Quality Group, and also met with a
number of major customers regarding the products and services which we
provide to them. An extended monthly weather outlook was routinely prepared
for circulation within the Emergency Management community – this product is
not provided to the public as forecasts at that time range, being probabilistic in
nature, require expert interpretation.
Tailored weather services were delivered to a variety of customers including
energy utilities, the construction sector, Local Authorities and several other
business and commercial interests. During the winter road ice season, some
13,500 forecasts for over 80 sites were provided to Local Authorities nationwide
and to a number of private road maintenance contractors.
Weatherdial, Met Éireann’s premium-rate telephone weather service, continues
to see a significant decline in usage as members of the public move to on-line
sources of information. Total calls during 2013 amounted to just over 300,000,
representing a 33% decline on the previous year. The range of online weather
information provided through the Web and electronic media was augmented,
in particular through the provision of a new web portal for Android smartphones
and tablets.
Of significance also was the launch of the METweb service; a closed, password
controlled website for the delivery of graphical weather information to users
within the public sector. By the end of the year operational METweb services
were being provided to Dublin City Council, the Irish Coast Guard and the
community of road maintenance engineers working under contract to the
National Roads Authority.
Services to Aviation
The Aviation Services Division is responsible for the provision of meteorological
services to military and civil aviation in Ireland and within Irish airspace. Routine
services to civil, military and general aviation were maintained to national and
international standards throughout 2013. This also applied to non-routine
forecasts for aviation such as forecast amendments, SIGMET messages (warning
of potentially hazardous weather phenomena in the Shannon Flight Information
Region) and aerodrome warnings of snow, frost, strong winds, thunderstorms
and volcanic ash.
48
Statistical Summary
No. of forecasts in support of search-and-rescue operations
360
No. of forecasts in support of terminal area operations (civil):
6,424
No. of forecasts in support of terminal area operations
(military):
3,223
No. of forecasts in support of regional airports:
No. of graphical area forecasts:
10,865
2,843
No. of warnings in support of en route operations:
362
No. of warnings in support of terminal area operations:
899
No. of weather reports in support of flight planning (civil):
61,260
No. of weather reports in support of terminal area operations
(civil):
67,386
No. of weather reports in support of flight planning (military):
4,380
No. of weather reports in support of terminal area operations
(military):
4,818
Rationalisation of services and improvements in customer service continued in
2013:
 A significant improvement in services to the Air Corps was implemented in
September by issuing METARs for Casement Aerodrome. As these are issued
internationally it improves access to the real-time actual weather at the
aerodrome for Air Corps pilots;
 The Division passed an NSAI ISO 9001:2008 quality management system audit
in June; and
 Divisional staff provided critical observing support to the Flightfest event in
Dublin, as well as contributing to the planning for the event.
Major contributions by Divisional staff to relevant international organizations
were also noteworthy, so ensuring that the State’s position was reflected on the
development of international standards and regulations governing civil
aviation.
Climatology & Observations
During 2013, the Climate Enquiries Office received approximately 2,250
telephone enquiries and 1,475 requests by email/fax/letter for climatological
information or reports. Approximately 400 specialist meteorologist reports were
provided for legal/insurance cases, and expert witnesses attended court as
required.
The “Monthly Weather Summary” was produced on the first or second working
day after the end of each month, giving a preliminary assessment of that
month’s weather, with extra seasonal and annual information at season/year
ends. The “Monthly Weather Bulletin”, published several months later, provided
a more comprehensive description of weather conditions with commentary on
49
significant events, both in Ireland and worldwide. The “Climate Atlas 2012”,
containing a mostly graphical description of the year’s weather, was also
produced. These three publications were made available on the Met Éireann
web site www.met.ie.
The Division continued to maintain and collect data from over 450
climatological and rainfall stations, assisted by co-operating agencies and
private individuals. This data, along with data from Met Éireann’s own stations,
were quality-controlled and made available in the climatological database.
Technology Division
Meteorological Observation programme:
Met Éireann’s meteorological observation network was maintained and
developed during 2013. Certain synoptic stations received new loggers, snow
sensors and observation cameras. The system for calibration of platinum
resistance thermometers (PRT) and barometers was upgraded.
Observations continued to be collected 24 hours a day year round.
Aviation observation systems were maintained at 5 Irish Airports and daily
climatological and rainfall observations collected from approximately 450 sites.
Information and Communications Technology:
A new in-house software application was developed for the distribution of
meteorological information received via the Regional Meteorological Data
Communications Network (RMDCN). The forecaster visualisation system (Visual
Weather) was transferred to new hardware with significant software upgrades.
As part of the upgrade a new cluster was installed at Shannon Airport.
Services over the web continued to be a significant element of Met Éireann’s
weather service delivery.
Meteorological Radar and Satellite Receiving Systems
Met Éireann operates two networked weather surveillance radars, located at
Dublin and Shannon Airports.
Ground station facilities for the reception of data from meteorological satellites
are also maintained.
Software upgrades were applied to the Satellite reception system during the
year.
Both the Dublin and Shannon radars signal processing systems received
software upgrades to improve performance.
50
Met Éireann Web Site
The Met Éireann public web sites, www.met.ie and http://m.met.ie/ are hosted
externally on a dedicated high-availability server.
www.met.ie: In 2013 there were 6.3 million visitors to the site and 27 million
individual visits. This was about the same as the previous year. The busiest day of
2013 was 21January, a cold day with wintry showers, particularly in the East,
with 227,000 visits.
http://m.met.ie: Most of the growth in website services in 2013 came from the
‘webapp’ version of our main website, specifically tailored for smartphones and
tablet computers, which launched in the middle of 2012. This saw about 10
million visits from over a million individual devices, an approximate 10-fold
increase on the previous year. The associated Android and iPhone apps have a
total of 162,000 installs to date.
2013 also saw the launch of www.metweb.ie, a password-protected site
dedicated to the delivery of specialised and individually-tailored forecast
services to state and public service customers.
Met Self-Briefing (MSB) Web Service
This specialised MSB self-briefing aviation web site is supported and hosted inhouse for the exclusive use of general aviation pilots using Irish airports.
During the year the application was ported over to new enhanced data
processing units. Security enhancements were also applied to the system.
It continued to effectively deliver aviation weather services with over 550
individual users and companies accessing the service over 112,000 times during
2013, representing a 25% increase over usage in 2012.
Research, Environment and Applications Division
Research and Climate Change
The HIRLAM numerical weather prediction system was upgraded during the
year, improving the accuracy of forecasts. The system continues to provide
high quality operational guidance for forecasters and drives a diverse range of
weather related applications. As a partner in the international HIRLAM project
Met Éireann collaborated in basic research in Numerical Weather Prediction;
this research feeds back into the operational forecast systems.
As a partner in the EC-Earth Consortium, Met Éireann continued to run global
climate simulations and deliver data to CMIP5 for consideration by the IPCC in
preparation for the launch of the AR5 report; this work was completed on
schedule and datasets are cited in the AR5 report launched in the autumn. The
data were also used to update climate projections for Ireland; a major report
(Ireland's Climate: the road ahead), summarising the results, was launched to
coincide with the release of the AR5 report.
51
A new operational dispersion modelling capability was established to support
the EPA, RPII and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in
emergency planning. The tailored system enables users to analyse and forecast
the dispersion of noxious substances in the atmosphere (Foot&Mouth virus,
chemical spillages, volcanic ash, radioactive materials, etc.). This robust userfriendly system, established at two independent computer sites, ensures that
the most up-to-date and best quality meteorological data are available for
predicting atmospheric transport and for informing authorities in national
emergencies.
A new study regarding the quality of radar derived precipitation estimates was
completed; this will improve our capability in forecasting flooding events.
In collaboration with the Marine Institute and the UK Met Office Met Éireann
continued to maintain the Marine Weather Buoy Network around Ireland,
monitoring the marine climate and providing a range of specialist forecasts to
users.
Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
Valentia Observatory
Upper air radiosonde ascents to measure the vertical profile of meteorological
elements continue to be carried out at Valentia Observatory. Measurements of
ultraviolet (UV) radiation and surface and total column ozone levels were
performed, supplemented by weekly ozonesonde ascents.
A feasibility study on the introduction of an automated radiosonde system was
completed.
The Observatory participated in national and international monitoring
programmes in atmospheric chemistry, geomagnetics, seismology, and
phenology. Annual updates of geomagnetic declination were provided to the
Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and the Ordnance Survey of Ireland (OSI).
A new system to gather atmospheric observations (MOD-S data) based on
aircraft flight tracks was installed at the Observatory.
Building work commenced on the new environmental monitoring site at
Valentia Island.
Laboratory
The extensive program of environmental monitoring continued in 2013 with the
focus on the analysis of the chemical composition of air and precipitation
samples from selected synoptic stations. This work included the analysis of
samples from five Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) transboundary
pollution sites and the analysis of air quality samples from the Global
52
Atmospheric Watch station at Mace Head and the Regional Atmospheric
Watch station at Valentia Observatory.
53
Chapter 8: Resourcing the Modern Department
High Level Objective
To ensure the on-going development of a high performance Department
committed to providing a quality, efficient and effective service to all our
customers.
Human Resources, PMDS, Learning and Development
Ireland held the Presidency of the EU in first half of 2013. In response to this, staff
were deployed from across the Department to support sections with a heavy
EU Presidency workload. Cross-Departmental/agency teams were deployed in
a number of areas, and flexible cross-stream reporting arrangements were put
in place between technical/administrative staff for the management of a
number of Presidency-related dossiers. A small number of additional staff were
engaged in respect of the EU Presidency.
Post-Presidency, a Departmental Restructuring Review was undertaken to
ensure optimum structures and staffing were in place to deliver on business
priorities and commitments. The Review involved extensive consultation with
staff, along with the reorganisation and assignment of staff across various
business units and locations of the Department.
Implementing the Employment Control Framework (ECF) for the Environment
Vote Group remained a key area of focus and challenge. The ECF sets overall
ceilings and sectoral ceilings within the Environment Vote Group, which consists
of the Department, non-commercial State Sponsored bodies (NCSSBs) under
the aegis of the Department and local authorities.
The Department continued to deliver on its commitments under the Croke Park
Action Plan and its successor, the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA), which
came into effect in July 2013. The Department implemented provisions of the
HRA, including reductions in pay, amendments to incremental progression and
additional working hours, while at the same time delivering on key Government
commitments and reforms. Many elements of the HRA will require on-going
implementation over the period of the agreement (2013 – 2016).
During 2013, the Department continued to implement its ORP Action Plan,
which had been agreed in October 2011. The Plan contains a number of
actions for HR, including developing more strategic approach to HR delivery
and supporting managers in their leadership roles.
In 2013, the Department published its first Workforce Plan, in line with Guidelines
from the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform. Workforce Planning is
about ensuring that the right people with the right skills are in place at the right
time. Workforce Planning forms an important part of the Department’s strategic
planning and the process is on-going.
54
The Department ran an extensive targeted learning and development
programme in 2013, providing over 700 training courses including AP and HEO
line manager training, an extensive programme of health and safety training,
business writing, ICT and Irish language training. In addition, 35 participants
undertaking external third level courses in Economics, Law, Policy Analysis,
Project Management and Finance were supported in the 2013/2014 academic
year.
Staff also continued to avail of a range of work/life balance schemes, as set
out below:
Worksharing
Parental Leave
Career Breaks
Study Leave
Shorter Working Year
91
62
24 staff members were on Career Break and 6 were on
Incentivised Career Break
28 staff availed of study leave
61 members of staff availed of Shorter Working Year
The Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) continued to
be used as an effective performance management and development tool,
with a 96% implementation rate achieved.
The number of staff serving in the Department at year end 2013 equated to
748.21 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) posts, with an additional small number on
maternity and other leave. This is a reduction of 30.57 WTE from end 2012 and a
reduction of 583.91 WTE from end 2008. There was a significant change in the
staffing levels in the Department in 2011 due to the structural changes that
occurred with the transfer of the heritage function to the new Department of
Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the transfer of community functions to
the Department. A limited number of staff were recruited and promoted
through a variety of different routes in 2013, including redeployment, internal
promotion and open competition.
The Department’s sick leave statistics for 2013 indicate an average of 8.46 sick
days per employee with an absence rate of 3.86%. This compares to an
average of 6.94 sick days per employee with an absence rate of 3.17% in 2012,
reflecting a slight increase in the rates.
The Department’s absence rates are lower than average compared to the
rates for the civil service. The most recent figures available from the
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of the civil service
rates are for 2012. In 2012, there was an average of 9 sick days per WTE across
the civil service with an absence rate of 4.6%.
In 2013, the Department participated in the National Job Shadow Initiative.
55
The Department also participated in the FÁS JobBridge Scheme and six
internships were in place in 2013.
56
Strategic and Business Support Unit
One of the outcomes of the restructuring, referred to earlier, was the
establishment of the Strategic and Business Support Unit to support and drive
strategic and business planning and implementation including continuous
business process improvement across the Department. The Unit will achieve this
by partnering closely with HR and undertaking strategic and operational
reviews and through the provision of economic, value for money, ICT, project
management and legal services to other business units. The ICT Unit has been
integrated into the Strategic and Business Support Unit.
Good progress was made in 2013 in the continued implementation of the
Department’s ICT strategy, published in 2011. The availability of the ICT network
to staff in the Department was effectively 100% and progress was made in
improving the resilience of the network with the deployment of multiple
connections allowing server platforms in Dublin and Wexford to backup one
another. Other achievements through the year include:
 Progress has been made on the collection and exchange of data between
the Department and the Local Government Sector with the delivery of a
number of applications including The Annual Traveller Family Count and the
Unfinished Housing Estate Survey;
 Alignment with ISO 27001 standard was achieved;
 Continued improvements on the Department’s ICT Disaster Recovery (DR)
capabilities;
 The provision of ICT services to the Heritage Division of the Department of
Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht and the extension of other ICT functionality to
Agencies and bodies under the aegis of the Department;
 Replacement of the Microsoft XP desktop estate has been completed;
 Rollout of secure centralised printing was completed across the
Department;
 Approval obtained from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the
Marine to administer the Rural Development Programme, following a further
audit by Deloitte of the Department’s Information Security infrastructure and
procedures;
 Business support systems were developed and delivered in a number of
areas – such as Foreshore Licence Application System and a number of
Geographic Information System (GIS) support applications, including
supporting the domestic water meter survey and supporting Franchise
during their work on the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Report;
 Myplan.ie development continued with the Minister for Public Expenditure
and Reform identifying myplan.ie as an example of maximising new and
innovative service delivery channels in the Public Service Reform Plan
progress report; and
 In co-operation with Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department launched
GeoPortal.ie as part of its commitment to expanding e-Government policy
and to meet the goals of the European Union’s INSPIRE (Infrastructure for
Spatial Information in Europe) Directive.
57
Partnership Committee
The Department’s Partnership Committee continued to provide a forum where
significant developments and new initiatives in the area of modernisation and
human resources were introduced through a process of consultation,
communication and mutual understanding.
Much of the Committee’s work was focussed on Public Service Agreement
talks, on HR/PMDS matters and on the restructuring process being undertaken in
the Department in 2013.
The Committee was updated on the progress of the Internal Communications
Plan, the ICT Strategy and had a de-brief, following the EU Presidency. The
Committee contributed to the Department’s business planning and prioritisation
process. A review of the operation of Partnership was initiated by the members
and a working group will report back to the full Committee.
Freedom of Information/Access to Information on the Environment (FOI/AIE)
requests:
Details of FOI and AIE activity together with information on the category of
applicants making FOI requests in 2013 is set out in the table below. The Office
of the Ombudsman submitted 16 requests for information in relation to
complaints received by their office, including complaints relating to the failure
by the Department to promptly reply to correspondence and decisions made
by the Department.
Decisions
Granted
Part Granted
Refused
Requests withdrawn
Transferred
Lapsed
Requests in progress
Total Requests Received*
Breakdown of Requests by Division
Community
Finance & Central Services
Planning & Housing
Local Government
Local Government Audit Service
Environment
Water & ICT
Breakdown of request by Category of Applicant
Media & Journalists
Business, Company, Consultant
58
FOI
AIE
40
6
23
6
19
10
10
4
1
0
2
0
15
5
110
31
FOI
AIE
13
1
27
4
20
7
17
0
1
0
10
16
22
3
FOI
AIE
62
4
12
1
Member of the Oireachtas / Public Reps.
Association & Other professional bodies
Individual (non-personal request)
Individual (personal request)
Internal Reviews
Original Decisions Upheld
Original Decisions Varied
Reviews in progress
Total Reviews Received
1
0
8
9
19
17
8
0
FOI
AIE
4
5
1
0
0
0
5
5
Irish Language
Between August 2012 and July 2013, 41 telephone calls, 2 instances of face-toface enquiries, and 34 instances of written correspondence, including 4
Ministerial Representations and 10 Parliamentary Questions, were dealt with in
Irish by members of staff. The Department also made every effort to ensure that
all commonly used application forms, posters and leaflets of general public
interest were produced bilingually under the one cover (or separately, if the
design of the publication makes this option unfeasible). The Department
continues to enhance Irish language content on its websites.
Irish Language development classes were provided for staff in the
Department’s offices in Dublin and Wexford. Online classes were also provided
for staff members in the Ballina and Wexford offices. The Department prepared
its third Irish Language Scheme in 2012, which was confirmed by the Minister for
Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht in 2013 and which came into operation on 16
September 2013.
59
Supporting the Parliamentary Process
2012
Questions Received
Questions Answered3
2013
Parliamentary Questions
4,516
4,524
3,972
3,605
Of Which:
Oral
Written
399
3,573
364
448
3,157
Topical Issues Debates
289
Seanad Adjournment Debates
61
69
Representations4
8,951
6,286
Invitations5
1,263
1,614
Financial Management, Internal Audit and Risk Assessment
In line with Government’s commitment to rectify serious imbalances in the
public finances in support of Ireland’s exit from the EU-IMF programme, the
Department’s Gross Voted Expenditure fell to €1.15bn in 2013, compared to
€1.25bn expended the previous year. The €1.15bn expended in 2013 was
comprised of €697m in capital expenditure (including €41m carried forward)
and €451m in current expenditure.
The Department protected front line services in 2013 to the maximum extent
possible while working within the constraints of Government fiscal policy which
required tight controls on public spending and reduced resources for
Departments generally.
Expenditure on Water Services and LEADER capital were lower than expected
in 2013; some €72m in unspent capital expenditure has been carried forward to
2014 to supplement voted provisions.
A key challenge for 2014 and the medium term will be to ensure that resources
made available for Department programmes continue to be used with
maximum efficiency and effectiveness to achieve key objectives.
The remainder of questions were disallowed, withdrawn or transferred.
Represents totals from Minister’s and Ministers of State’s Offices
5 Represents totals from Minister’s and Ministers of State’s Offices
3
4
60
The Department’s Internal Audit Unit completed eight internal audits and seven
audit reviews/follow-ups during 2013. The Department’s Audit Committee held
five meetings during the year.
In line with Government policy on increased efficiency and value for money,
expenditure on consultancy has been actively managed. The provisional
outturn on consultancy for 2013 was approximately €1.22m.
In 2013, quality assurance reviews of compliance with new Public Spending
Code requirements were carried out by the Department’s Public Spending
Code Evaluation team as part of a three year rolling programme of reviews.
The Department will shortly publish a Quality Assurance Report for the year
ended 31 December 2013, which reports self-assessment of compliance with
the Public Spending Code obligations by the Department, Agencies and
Bodies under its aegis and the Local Government Sector.
An Integrated Training Strategy to ensure implementation of Public Spending
Code obligations is being developed by the Department. In 2013, the
Department undertook Value for Money Policy Reviews (VFMPRs) and Focussed
Policy Assessments (FPA) and key messages from these will be set out in the
Quality Assurance report.
VFMPRs and FPAs continued in 2013 and key messages from these will be set
out in the Quality Assurance report. The Department published Value for Money
report No. 28 ‘Management of Sickness Absence in Local Authorities’ in 2013.
The report’s key recommendations include full reporting of sickness absence
costs and performance against sectoral targets for efficiency and effectiveness
savings nationally. A public sector wide target of 3.5% has since been set by the
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The average sickness absence
rate for the local authority sector in 2011, was 5.19% (4.43% certified sickness
absence and 0.76% self-certified sickness absence). The national target was
advised as set for the sector under Circular Letter LG (P) 09/2013. The
Attendance Management Committee of the LGMA is to plan and monitor
implementation of the report key recommendations in accordance with the
circular requirements. Progress in this regard will be reported in the Quality
Assurance report.
Prompt Payment
In 2013, the Department paid 93% of all invoices within 15 calendar days, and
99% of all invoices within 30 calendar days.
In respect of the year overall, the Department incurred late payment interest of
€52 (€13 in 2012). The value of all late payments as a percentage of all invoiced
payments in 2013 was 0.009% (0.0003% in 2012). In addition to the late payment
interest, compensation costs (which were introduced with effect from 16 March
2013) amounting to €220 were paid in 2013.
61
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1: Legislative Activity in 2013
Acts of the Oireachtas in 2013
No. Title
Description
RIA
(Yes
/ No)
6
Water Services The Act provides for the No
Act 2013
establishment
of
Irish
Water/Uisce Éireann as a
subsidiary of Bord Gáis
Éireann and provides Irish
Water with the necessary
powers to undertake the
domestic water metering
programme. The Act also
provides the Commission for
Energy
Regulation
(the
Commission) with a function
to advise to the Government
in
relation
to
the
development
of
policy
regarding the regulation of
the
provision
of
water
services
7
Electoral
(Amendment)
(Dáil
Constituencies)
Act 2013
The Act provides for the Yes
number of members of Dáil
Éireann, for the revision of
constituencies and for the
number of members to be
elected
for
such
constituencies.
62
Reason
for
preparing RIA
not
A
detailed
analysis of the
impacts
of
transferring
functions from the
local authorities to
a single utility was
set out in the
independent
assessment
by
Pricewaterhouse
Coopers (PwC). In
view
of
the
extensive analysis
contained in this,
it
was
not
considered
necessary to carry
out a further RIA
on the proposed
legislation.
Furthermore, there
are opportunities
for
public
consultation
through
the
Commissioner for
Energy
Regulation.
9
Motor Vehicle
(Duties
and
Licences) Act
2013
16
Non-Use
of
Motor Vehicles
Act 2013
22
Housing
(Amendment)
Act 2013
27
Electoral, Local
Government
and Planning
and
Development
Act 2013
Act gave effect to the motor
tax increases announced in
Budget 2013 and provided
for the transfer of monies
from the Local Government
Fund to the Exchequer.
Act provided for revised
arrangements for making
declarations of non-use of a
vehicle and for payments
from the Local Government
Fund to the Road Safety
Authority
related
to
transitional
operational
arrangements
for
the
provision of the new driving
licence service.
The main purpose of the Act
is to amend section 31 of the
Housing
(Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 2009 relating
to local authority rents so that
the enactment can be
brought into operation in an
effective sequence.
The
Electoral,
Local
Government and Planning
and Development Act 2013,
enacted on 22 July 2013
gives effect to Directive
2013/1/EU which amended
Directive
93/109/EC
in
relation
to
nomination
requirements
for
nonNational EU citizens living in
Ireland who wish to stand in
Ireland for election to the
European Parliament.
The Act also provides for a
number of other electoral
related matters;
 a legislative basis for the
preparation
and
publication of a single
register of electors for the
63
No
Not required
Yes
No
Yes
Not required
2014/2015
period
in
Limerick, Tipperary and
Waterford in which areas
members of single new
local authorities will be
elected in 2014;
 Part 9 of the Act provides
for the appointment of a
dual
manager
in
Waterford County Council
and Waterford and City
Council;,
matching
arrangements already in
place for Limerick and
Tipperary
the
establishment
of
a
committee to report on
European
Parliament
constituencies
in
the
context of a change in
the number of MEPs to be
elected;
 more time for the receipt
of
applications
for
inclusion
in
the
supplement to the postal
and special voters list on
the electoral register in
advance of referendums
and Local, European and
Presidential elections;
 removal
of
the
requirement on An Post to
make
copies
of
Referendum Bills available
in post offices.
50
Water Services The Act provides for the No
(No. 2) Act transfer of responsibility for
2013
the delivery of water services
from the water services
authorities to Irish Water. The
Act also provides for the
establishment
of
an
economic regulator for water
services
within
the
Commission
for
Energy
64
A
detailed
analysis of the
impacts
of
transferring
functions from the
local authorities to
a single utility was
set out in the
independent
assessment
by
Regulation.
51
Pyrite
The Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 No.
Resolution Act provides
for
the
2013.
establishment of the Pyrite
Resolution
Board
on
a
statutory basis and for the
making
of
a
pyrite
remediation scheme to be
implemented by the Board
with support from the Housing
Agency.
65
Pricewaterhouse
Coopers (PwC). In
view
of
the
extensive analysis
contained in this,
it
was
not
considered
necessary to carry
out a further RIA
on the proposed
legislation.
Furthermore, there
are opportunities
for
public
consultation
through
the
Commissioner for
Energy
Regulation.
The urgency of
the
required
legislation.
Bills published by the Department during 2013(other than those which were enacted
and which are reflected in the preceding table)
No.
Title
Description
RIA Reason for not
(Yes preparing RIA
/
No)
98
124
Local
Government
Bill 2013
The Local Government Bill Yes
2013 was drafted to give
legislative effect to proposals
set out in Action Programme
for
Effective
Local
Government, Putting People
First. The Bill, which contained
65 sections and 5 Schedules,
contained
legislative
provisions to give effect to the
measures contained in the
Action Programme involving a
wide range of provisions
relating to local government
structures, functions, funding,
governance and operational
matters.
European
The Bill amends Schedule 3 of Yes
Parliament
the
European
Parliament
Elections
Elections Act 1997 following
(Amendment) from
a
review
of
Bill 2013
constituencies for the election
of members of the European
Parliament in the State
66
General Schemes/Heads of Bills brought to Government during 2013(other than
those which were published/enacted and are included in the previous tables)
No.
Title
Description
Maritime Area
and Foreshore
(Amendment)
Bill
The Bill aims to integrate the Yes
foreshore
and
planning
consent systems, allowing for
a single EIA for projects, and
provides for a mechanism to
manage development in the
EEZ
The General Scheme of the No
Bill which was approved by
Government
on
17
December 2013 provides for
the replacement of section
62 of the Housing Act 1966
and
strengthens
the
excluding order provisions of
the Housing (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 1997. It also
provides
for
a
tenant
purchase scheme for existing
local authority houses along
incremental purchase lines to
replace the 1995 tenant
purchase scheme for local
authority houses. In addition
provision will be made for the
new
Housing
Assistance
Payment
under
which
housing authorities will take
over responsibility for longterm rent supplement cases
from the Department of
Social Protection.
Housing
Bill 2013
RIA
Reason
for
(Yes / preparing RIA
No)
67
Not required
not
Radiological
Protection
(Miscellaneous
Provisions) Bill
Government has approved a Yes
general scheme of a Bill to
provide for the merger of the
RPII and the EPA. The Bill will
also incorporate the terms of
the 2005 Amendment to the
Convention on the Physical
Protection Nuclear Materials
into Irish law. Government
has approved drafting of the
Bill on a priority basis.
To:
No
Environment
(Miscellaneous
i). give effect to a waste
Provisions) Bill
policy commitment in the
Programme
for
Government;
ii). reinstate fixed payment
notices (FPN) for certain
offences under the Solid
Fuel
Regulations
and
extend FPN to a range of
other existing offences;
iii). certain amendments to
the
EPA
Acts
in
anticipation of the merger
of the EPA with the RPII;
iv). extend EPA licensing fees
and introduce fees for PRI
compliance schemes;
v). amend
provisions
for
access to justice on
environmental
matters;
and
vi). amend
some
typographical errors in
existing primary legislation.
Outline Heads To enable the State to pursue No
of
Climate and achieve transition to a
Action
and low-carbon, climate resilient
Low Carbon and
environmentally
Development sustainable
economy
by
Bill.
2050.
68
The
Bill
makes
minor
amendments
to
existing legislation
and does not give
effect to any new
policies.
RIA
will
accompany final
General Scheme
in due course.
Draft EU Directives for which Department had lead responsibility during 2013:
No.
Title
COM Council Directive
(2011) laying down basic
593
safety standards
for
protection
against
the
dangers
arising
from exposure to
ionising radiation.
COM Proposal for a
(2012) Regulation of the
European
643
Parliament and of
final
the Council on
fluorinated
greenhouse gases
COM
Draft proposal for
a
Council
(2013) Directive
343
amending
Directive
Description
RIA
Reason
for
(Yes preparing RIA
/ No)
This Directive aims to No
achieve a streamlining
of the existing legislation
and to bring coherence
to
regulatory
and
protection measures for
the public, workers and
patients. It will bring
European legislation into
line
with
current
scientific understanding
in particular the main
recommendations
of
the
International
Commission
on
Radiation
Protection
(ICRP)
as
well
as
expanding
provisions
particularly in relation to
natural radiation sources
and the protection of
the environment.
The proposal aims to No
discourage the use of
high global warming
gases by replacing with
environmentally friendly,
energy efficient and
safe alternatives. It also
aims to further improve
the containment and
end of life disposal of
products
and
equipment containing F
gases.
The
Commission Yes
considers it appropriate
to amend, strengthen
and supplement the
Nuclear Safety Directive,
69
not
Will be done for
the transposition
of the Directive.
A
stakeholder
consultation was
undertaken and
further
consultation will
be carried out as
part
of
implementation.
2009/71/EURATOM
establishing
a
Community
framework for the
nuclear safety of
nuclear
installations draft
presented under
Article 31 Euratom
Treaty
for
the
opinion of the
European
Economic
and
Social
Committee.
COM Proposal for a
(2013) Council Directive
on the limitation
919
of emissions of
final
certain pollutants
into the air from
medium
combustion plants
COM
(2013)
920
final
Proposal for a
Council Directive
on the reduction
of
national
emissions
of
certain
atmospheric
pollutants
by combining technical
improvements
with
wider safety issues such
as
governance,
transparency and onsite
emergency
preparedness
and
response.
The proposal aims to No
control emissions of air
polluting
substances
from
medium
combustion plants with
a rated thermal input
between 1 and 50 MW,
thereby completing the
regulatory framework for
the combustion sector
also with a view of
increasing the synergies
between air pollution
and climate change
policies.
The proposal will give No
legal effect to the
agreed
Gothenburg
Protocol 2020 ceilings
aimed
at
reducing
emissions
for
five
pollutants
(sulphur
dioxide, nitrogen oxides,
volatile
organic
compounds, ammonia
and fine particulate
matter) and set new
ceilings for 2030 for the
same five pollutants as
well as methane. This will
replace
the
existing
National
Emissions
70
Proposal was only
published on 18
Dec 2013.
Proposal was only
published on 18
Dec 2013.
Ceiling
2001/81/EC.
71
Directive
Statutory Instruments/Orders Prepared by the Department in 2013:
No.
Title
26
Social
Housing
Assessments
(Summary)
Regulations 2013
32
European Union (Waste
Electrical and Electronic
Equipment) (Amendment)
Regulations 2013
Description
RIA Reason for not
(Yes preparing RIA
/
No)
These
regulations No
Not required
prescribe the form to
be used by housing
authorities to prepare
summaries of social
housing assessments
in accordance with
section 21 of the
Housing
(Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 2009.
These
Regulations No
Technical
amend the European
amendment to
Communities (Waste
existing
Electrical
and
legislation.
Electronic Equipment)
Regulations 2011 and
give further effect to
the
provisions
of
European Parliament
and Council Directive
2002/96/EC
as
amended. They are
designed to promote
the recovery of waste
electrical
and
electronic equipment
and to facilitate the
achievement
of
targets
for
the
collection, treatment,
recovery and disposal
of waste electrical
and
electronic
equipment
established
by
Directive 2002/96/EC
as amended.
72
38
71
80
91
European Union
(Inspection Plan)
Regulations 2013
These regulations are No
made to revise the
date by which the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
will
make
the
National Inspection
Plan for domestic
waste
water
treatment systems.
European Union
These Regulations are Yes
(Household Food Waste
designed to promote
and Bio-Waste)
the segregation and
Regulations 2013
recovery
of
household
food
waste. They will, in
particular, contribute
to the achievement
of the targets set out
in Article 5 of EU
Directive 99/31/EC on
the landfill of waste
for the diversion of
biodegradable
municipal waste from
landfill
sites
to
composting
and
biogas plants and to
other
forms
of
authorised treatment.
They will also increase
the amount of food
waste
that
is
recovered.
Building Control
These
Regulations Yes
(Amendment) Regulations strengthen
the
2013.
current arrangements
in place for the
control of building
activity.
The
Regulations enter into
force on 1 March
2014.
Finance (Local Property List of developments No
Tax) Regulations 2013
exempt from Local
Property Tax.
73
Not Applicable
Not required
108
Water Services Act 2013 This Order brings into No
(Commencement) Order operation
certain
2013
provisions
of
the
Water Services
137
Environmental Protection
Agency (Industrial
Emissions) (Licensing)
Regulations 2013.
138
European Union (Industrial
Emissions) Regulations
2013.
147
Act 2013.
Set
out
the No
application
procedure
for
licences, reviews of
licences or revised
licences,
consideration by the
Agency of objections,
including the holding
of
oral
hearings,
public participation
procedures
associated with the
industrial
emissions
licensing
system
administered by the
Agency
and
the
contents
of
the
register of licenses
application process
for
an
Industrial
Emissions License.
These
Regulations No
amend
the
Environmental
Protection Agency
Act 1992 and the
Waste Management
Act 1996.
Finance (Local Property These
Regulations No
Tax) (Pyrite Exemption) provide
for
an
Regulations 2013.
exemption from the
local property tax
(LPT) for residential
properties
which
have
significant
pyritic damage. The
Regulations entered
into force on 2 May
2013.
74
Not Applicable
N/A
N/A
Not required.
148
176
180
European Union (Waste These
Regulations No
Incineration Plants and transpose Chapter IV
Waste
of
Directive
2010/75/EU of the
Co-Incineration
Plants) European Parliament
Regulations 2013
and the Council of 24
November, 2010 on
industrial
emissions
(integrated pollution
prevention
and
control) (Recast). The
Regulations apply to
Waste
Incineration
Plants and Waste Coincineration plants as
set
out
in
the
Regulations.
European Communities
These
Regulations No
gave
effect
to
(Control of Emissions of Directive 2012/46/EU
Gaseous and Particulate a
technical
Pollutants from Non-Road
amendment
to
Mobile
Machinery) Directive
97/68/EC
(Amendment) Regulations concerning non-road
2013
mobile machinery.
Domestic Waste Water These Regulations are No
Treatment
Systems made is to provide for
(Registration)
the registration of
(Amendment) Regulations newly constructed or
2013
installed
domestic
waste
water
treatment systems.
75
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
Technical
amendment of
existing
regulations.
No significant
impact.
Not Applicable
185
189
190
Referendum Commission This order established No
(Establishment) Order 2013 a
Referendum
Commission for the
purposes
of
the
Referendum
Acts
1998 and 2001 in
connection with the
Thirty-second
Amendment of the
Constitution (Abolition
of Seanad Éireann)
Bill
2013
and
appointed the 6th of
June 2013 as the day
on which the position
of chairperson of the
Commission
took
effect.
Water Services Act 2007 These regulations are No
(Re-inspections)
made is to prescribe
Regulations 2013
a) the form to be
used and
b) the fee payable,
where a re-inspection
is requested by a
person aggrieved by
an advisory notice
issued under Part 4A
of the Water Services
Act 2007.
Water Services Act 2007
These regulations are No
(Appointment of
made is to prescribe
Inspectors) Regulations
the form to be used
2013
by
applicants
for
appointment as an
inspector
for
the
purposes of Part 4A of
the Water Services
Act 2007.
76
Not required
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
194
207
Waste
Management
(Landfill
Levy)(Amendment)
Regulations 2013
These
Regulations No
amend the Waste
Management
(Landfill
Levy)
Regulations 2011 and
increase the landfill
levy
for
waste
disposed
of
at
authorised
and
unauthorised landfill
facilities from €65 per
tonne to €75 per
tonne with effect
from 1 July 2013
Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Commenced
No
Act
2013 sections providing for
(Commencement) Order transitional financial
2013
arrangements
following the transfer
of the driving licence
function to the Road
Safety
Authority,
providing
for
the
Minister for Transport,
Tourism and Sport to
become a licensing
authority, as well as
the preliminary and
general sections.
77
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
Not required
The
Planning
and
Development
(Amendment) Regulations
2013
222
These
regulations No
provide
for
exemptions
from
planning (subject to
certain conditions) for
charging points for
electric
vehicles,
certain
remedial
works carried out on
septic
tanks,
and
certain
structures
provided
by
a
statutory undertaker
authorised to provide
a
telecommunications
service. This was in
furtherance of the
Department’s policy
of achieving the least
regulatory
burden
consistent with the
proper assessment of
development
consent proposals.
Domestic Waste Water These
regulations No
Treatment
Systems provide for a scheme
(Financial
Assistance) of financial assistance
Regulations 2013
to
owners
of
domestic
waste
water
treatment
systems which require
remediation
or
upgrading
arising
from an inspection
and the subsequent
issue of an advisory
notice under Part 4A
of the Water Services
Act 2007, as inserted
by Section 4 of the
Water
Services
(Amendment)
Act
2012.
78
Not Applicable
224
225
Building Regulations (Part These
Regulations Yes
D
Amendment) amend
Part
D
Regulations 2013.
(Materials
and
Workmanship) of the
Building Regulations
1997 by revising the
definition of “proper
materials” to have
regard to the relevant
provisions
of
Regulation (EU) No.
305/2011
of
the
European Parliament
and of the Council of
9 March 2011 laying
down
harmonised
conditions for the
marketing
of
construction products
and
repealing
Council
Directive
89/106/EEC.
The
Regulations entered
into force on 1 July
2013.
European
Union These
Regulations Yes
(Construction
Products) facilitate
the
Regulations 2013.
implementation
in
Ireland of Regulation
(EU) No. 305/2011 of
the
European
Parliament and of the
Council of 9 March
2011 laying down
harmonised
conditions for the
marketing
of
construction products
and
repealing
Council
Directive
89/106/EEC.
The
Regulations entered
into force on 1 July
2013.
79
232
Non-Use of Motor Vehicles
Act
2013
(Commencement)(No.2)
Order 2013
233
Non-Use of Motor Vehicles
Regulations 2013
250
Referendum Commission
(Establishment) (No. 2)
Order
2013
251
European
Union
(Household Food Waste
and
Bio-Waste)
(Amendment) Regulations
2013
Commenced
sections relating to
the making of a
declaration of nonuse of a vehicle.
Prescribed the form
for
making
a
declaration of nonuse of a vehicle.
This order established
a
Referendum
Commission for the
purposes
of
the
Referendum
Acts
1998 and 2001 in
connection with the
Thirty-third
Amendment of the
Constitution (Court of
Appeal) Bill 2013 and
appointed the 10th of
July 2013 as the day
on which the position
of chairperson of the
Commission
took
effect.
These
Regulations
amend the European
Union
(Household
Food Waste and BioWaste)
Regulations
2013 by clarifying
what constitutes an
offence under the
Regulations, dealing
with
powers
of
authorised
persons
and
deleting
Regulation
7
(b)
which concerns the
use of macerators.
80
No
Not required
No
Not required
No
Not required
No
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
269
272
Water
Services
Act This Order is made is No
(Prescribed Persons) Order to prescribe that Bord
2013
Gáis Éireann is a
relevant person for
the
purposes
of
Section 26 of the
Water Services
Electoral,
Local
Government and Planning
and
Development Act 2013
(Commencement) Order
2013
273
Local
Government
(Household
Charge)
Regulations 2013
Act 2013.
This Order brought No
into operation Part 4
of the Electoral, Local
Government
and
Planning
and
Development
Act
2013, which deals
with
timelines
for
making applications
to
registration
authorities
for
inclusion
in
the
supplement to the
postal and special
voters lists on the
electoral register.
List of developments No
exempt
from
Household Charge
81
Not Applicable
Not required
Not required
282
283
European
Parliament By this order the No
Constituencies Committee Minister
for
the
Environment,
(Establishment) Order 2013 Community
and
Local
Government
established
a
committee to report
on
European
Parliament
constituencies
following on from the
decision
of
the
European Council on
28 June 2013 on the
number of members
to be elected for the
2014-2019
Parliamentary term.
This number is 11 in
Ireland.
Environmental Protection Set out procedural No
Agency
(Integrated matters in relation to
Pollution
Control) the
integrated
(Licensing)
Regulations licensing
by
the
2013.
Environmental
Protection Agency of
Integrated
Pollution
Control
activities
specified
in
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Act 1992.
82
Not required
N/A
284
318
Environmental Protection Set
fees
Agency (Licensing Fees) applications to
Regulations 2013.
Environmental
Protection
for No
the
Agency for licences
to carry out certain
Industrial
Emissions
Directive
(2010/75/EU)
waste
activities specified in
the Environmental
Protection
Agency
Act 1992 (inserted by
the Protection of the
Environment
Act
2003
and
amended
by the
European
Union
(Industrial Emissions)
Regulations
2013 (S.I. No. 138 of
2013)).
Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Provided
for No
(Section 3) Regulations transitional
2013
arrangements
to
facilitate
owners
declaring
that
a
vehicle had not been
in use but who were
not in a position to
attend personally at
a Garda Station to do
so.
83
N/A
Not required
320
Radiological
Protection
Act 1991 (Responsible and
Safe
Management
of
Radioactive Waste) Order
2013
This Order transposes No
Ireland’s obligations
in relation to Directive
2011/70/Euratom. The
objective
of
this
Directive is to cover
all
aspects
of
radioactive
waste
and
spent
fuel
management, from
generation through to
long-term disposal.
It stipulates the prime
responsibility
of
generators and the
ultimate responsibility
of
each
Member
State
for
the
management
of
waste generated on
its territory by ensuring
that
appropriate
national
arrangements
are
taken to guarantee a
high level of safety to
protect workers and
the general public
against
the
risks
arising from ionising
radiation.
It formally establishes
the responsibility of
each Member State
for the management
of
its
radioactive
waste and regulates
export conditions for
the disposal of this
waste.
84
This
Order
transposed the
Directive.
RIA
not
required as it
was done at
negotiating
stage.
327
328
342
European Union (End-Of- These
Regulations No
Life
Vehicles) amend the Waste
(Amendment)
Management (Endof-Life
Vehicles)
Regulations 2013
Regulations 2006 and
are intended to give
effect to Commission
Directive 2013/28/EU
of 17 May 2013
amending Annex II to
Directive 2000/53/EC
of
the
European
Parliament and of the
Council on End-of-Life
Vehicles.
Directive
2000/53/EC prohibits
the use of lead,
mercury, cadmium or
hexavalent chromium
in
materials
and
components
of
vehicles put on the
market after 1 July
2003, other than in
cases listed in Annex II
to that Directive and
under the conditions
specified
therein.
Pursuant to Article
4(2) (b) of Directive
2000/53/EC, Annex II
to that Directive is
adapted to scientific
and
technical
progress
by
the
Commission on a
regular basis.
Road
Vehicles Provided for a single No
(Registration
and identifier for trade
Licensing)(Amendment)
licences
issued in
Regulations 2013
Limerick,
Tipperary
and
Waterford
in
2014.
Local
Government Revised
list
of No
(Household
Charge) developments
(Amendment) Regulations exempt
from
2013
Household Charge
85
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
Not required
Not required
363
European
Union These
Regulations No
(Packaging)
amend the Waste
(Amendment) Regulations Management
(Packaging)
2013
Regulations 2007 and
are intended to give
effect to Commission
Directive 2013/2/EU of
7
February
2013
amending Annex I to
Directive 94/62/EC of
the
European
Parliament and of the
Council
on
packaging
and
packaging waste.
Article
3(1)
of
Directive 94/62/EC of
20 December 1994 on
packaging
and
packaging
waste,
defines “packaging”
by setting out a
number of criteria.
The items listed in
Annex I to that
Directive
are
illustrative examples
of the application of
those
criteria.
For
reasons
of
legal
certainty
and
harmonisation of the
interpretation of the
definition
of
“packaging”, it is
necessary to review
and amend the list of
illustrative examples
to clarify additional
cases
where
the
borderline between
what is packaging
and what is not
remains unclear.
86
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
417
European
Communities
(Control of Emissions of
Gaseous and Particulate
Pollutants from Non-Road
Mobile
Machinery)
(Amendment) Regulations
2013
Transposed Directive No
2012/46/EU,
which
amended
Directive
1997/68/EC
relating
to the control of
pollutant
emissions
from
internal
combustion engines
used in
non-road
mobile
machinery.
Certain
technical
annexes
of
the
Directive
were
updated
and
replaced
in
accordance with the
opinion
of
the
Technical Committee
of Motor Vehicles.
424
Electoral,
Local This Order brought No
Government and Planning into operation Part 5
and
of the Electoral, Local
Government
and
Development Act 2013 Planning
and
(Commencement) (No. 2) Development
Act
Order 2013
2013, which repeals
sections 21(c) and 22
of the Referendum
Act 1994, dealing
with requirements in
relation to making
available
for
inspection
and
purchase
at
post
offices copies of a Bill
containing a proposal
which is the subject of
a referendum.
87
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
Not required
429
430
Local Government Act
2001
(Appointment
of
Manager)
(Tipperary)
Order 2013
This Order provides for No
the appointment, by
Ministerial Order, of
Mr. Joe MacGrath as
manager for South
Tipperary County. This
is
the
first
appointment to this
position
after
the
commencement of
Part 4 of the Local
Government
(Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 2012. It
is
made
in
accordance
with
section 145(3A) of the
Local
Government
Act 2001 by virtue of
Mr.
MacGrath
holding the position
of manager for North
Tipperary County in
the
group
of
authorities
in
Tipperary.
Mr. MacGrath will act
as manager for both
counties as provided
for in section 144
(1A)(b) of the Local
Government
Act
2001.
Local Government Act This Order provides No
2001 (Specified Council) that North Tipperary
(Tipperary) Order 2013
County shall be the
council under which
a manager shall hold
employment for the
position of manager
of North Tipperary
County and South
Tipperary County.
88
Not required
Not required
431
446
Local
Government
(Miscellaneous Provisions)
Act
2012
(Commencement) Order
2013
This
Order No
commences
the
outstanding provision
in Part 4 of the Local
Government
(Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 2012
relating
to
the
position of manager
in North and South
Tipperary.
The
commencement
inserted
a
new
provision in section
144 of the Local
Government Act 2001
which provides that,
in the case of North
Tipperary County and
South
Tipperary
County, the same
person shall be the
manager and in so
doing allowed for the
appointment of such
a manager –see S.I.
No. 429/2013 above.
Local Government Act This Order provides for No
2001
(Commencement) the commencement
Order 2013
of section 230 of the
Local
Government
Act 2001 from 27th
November
2013,
which empowers the
Minister
for
the
Environment,
Community
and
Local Government to
fix a day on which a
joint burial board or
cemetery
joint
committee
is
dissolved and the
relevant
local
authority
becomes
the successor of the
body in question.
89
Not required
Not required
447
504
505
Local Government Act This Order fixes a day No
2001 (section 230) Order (1 June 2014) on
2013
which the specified
joint burial boards
and cemetery joint
committee
are
dissolved and the
relevant
local
authorities
become
the successors of the
bodies in question in
accordance
with
section 230 of the
Local
Government
Act 2001.
Waste
Management These
Regulations No
(Prohibition
of
Waste extend until January 1
Disposal
by
Burning) 2016 an exemption
(Amendment) Regulations provided for under
2013
the
Waste
Management
(Prohibition of Waste
Disposal by Burning)
Regulations
2009
which exists to allow
farmers, as a last
resort, to dispose of
wastes generated by
agricultural practices.
European
Union These
Regulations No
(Environmental
Impact give further effect to
Assessment)
(Waste) Directive 2011/92/EU
Regulations 2013
of
the
European
Parliament and of the
Council
on
the
assessment of certain
public and private
projects
on
the
environment.
90
Not required
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
Technical
amendment to
existing
legislation
507
520
575
576
Housing
(Sale
Houses)(Amendment)
Regulations 2013
of These regulations give No
housing
Not required
authorities a further 6
months (to
30 June 2014) in
which to finalise sales
to tenants under the
terminated
1995
tenant
purchase
scheme
for
local
authority houses.
The
Planning
and These
Regulations No
Development
made Irish Water a
(Amendment)
(No.
2) statutory
consultee
Regulations 2013
for plans and projects
under the Planning
and
Development
Act
2000,
as
amended.
Water Services (No. 2) Act This order brings into No
2013
(Commencement) operation
certain
Order 2013
general provisions of
the Water Services
(No. 2) Act 2013; also
miscellaneous
amendments to the
Water Services Act
2007 and the Water
Services Act 2013.
Water Services (No. 2) Act This order provides No
2013 (Transfer Day) Order that the 1 January
2013
2014 is appointed as
the transfer day for
the purposes of the
Water Services Act
2013. The functions of
the water services
authorities will transfer
to Irish Water on this
day.
91
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
n/a
n/a
n/a
Dáil Éireann (Bye-Election) This Order set 5 March No
Order 2013
2013 as the polling
day for the Meath
East
bye-election.
The
Order
was
published
in
Iris
Oifigiúil.
Referendum
Order
– This Order set 4 No
Polling
October 2013 as the
polling day for the
referendums on the
Thirty-second
Amendment of the
Constitution (Abolition
of Seanad Éireann)
Bill 2013 and the
Thirty-third
Amendment of the
Constitution (Court of
Appeal) Bill 2013. The
Order was published
in Iris Oifigiúil.
Referendum
Returning This Order appointed No
Officer
the
Referendum
Returning Officer for
the referendums on
the
Thirty-second
Amendment of the
Constitution (Abolition
of Seanad Éireann)
Bill 2013 and the
Thirty-third
Amendment of the
Constitution (Court of
Appeal) Bill 2013. The
Order was published
in Iris Oifigiúil.
92
Not required
Not required
Not required
APPENDIX 2: Publications in 2013
The publications produced by the Department during 2013 are detailed below. Publications
with a charge may be purchased directly from the Government Publications Sale Office,
unless otherwise indicated.
Programme
Publication Name
LCDP
Mid- LCDP
Term Review Review
Available
Cost
Mid-Term www.environ.ie
Free
National Rural Recreation in the www.countrysidecouncil.ie Free
Development Irish
Countryside which
is
a
mirror
of
“Property
Rights, www.environ.ie
National
Obligations
and Rural Development area
Responsibilities”
Franchise
Referendum
Results: 1937 - 2013
www.environ.ie
Free
Marine
A New Planning www.environ.ie
Planning and and
Consent
Foreshore
Architecture
for
Free
Development
in
the Marine Area
Water Sector Implementation
www.environ.ie
Reform
Strategy
Marine
Strategy
Framework
Directive
Marine
Strategy
Framework
Directive
Ireland’s
Marine www.environ.ie
Strategy
hardcopy
Framework
Directive Article 19
Reports
Ireland’s
Marine www.marine.ie
Atlas
Environment All Island Used Tyre www.environ.ie
Survey
Environment Corporate
Governance
Report
Free
and
in Free
Free
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
Environment A Packaging Levy www.environ.ie
Free
for Ireland Report
93
Environment Review
of
the www.environ.ie
Producer
Responsibility
Initiative Model in
Ireland
Section 9: Tyres
and Waste Tyres
Environment Review
of
the
Producer
Responsibility
Initiative Model in
Ireland.
ELV
Producer
Responsibility
Initiative
Environment All
Island
Bulky
Waste Reuse Best
Practice
Management
Feasibility Study
Environment Consultation paper
on the Regulation
of
Household
Waste Consultation
Housing
Leaflet
on
Minimum
Standards
in
Rented
Accommodation
Housing
Building for the
Future, A Voluntary
Regulation Code
for
Approved
Housing Bodies in
Ireland
Housing
Easy to Read –
National
Housing
Strategy for People
with a Disability
Housing
Homelessness
Policy Statement
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
94
Housing
Technical
Guidance
Document
D
–
Materials
and
Workmanship
(2013)
Housing
Information
Note
on
the
Construction
Products
Regulation
Local
Cork City Council
Government Workforce
Plan
& Franchise 2013
–
2014;
incorporating the
Report
of
Independent
Review Group on
Staffing Levels in
Cork City Council
Local
Local Government
Government Efficiency Review
& Franchise Implementation
Group – Further
Report
to
the
Minister for
the
Environment,
Community
and
Local Government
Met Éireann Spatial
Caffarra, A., heterogeneity
in
Zottele, F., the timing of birch
Gleeson, E., budburst
in
Donnelly, A. response to future
(2013)
climate warming in
Ireland
Met Éireann Spontaneous
Drijfhout,
abrupt
climate
S.S.,
change due to an
Gleeson, E., atmospheric
Dijkstra, H.A., blocking–sea-ice–
Livina, A.
ocean feedback in
(2013)
an
unforced
climate
model
simulation
www.environ.ie
€4.00
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
International
Journal
Biometeorology 57 (5)
of Journal
Publication
doi: 10.1007/s00484-013-07205.
PNAS 110 (49) 19713-19718; Journal
doi:10.1073/pnas.1304912110. Publication
(Published ahead of print
18/11/2013)
95
Met Éireann
Fitzpatrick,
N. (2013)
Met Éireann
Gleeson, E.,
Donnelly, A.,
Ní Bhroin, A.,
O’Neill, B.F.,
Semmler, T.,
McGrath, R.
(2013)
Verification of Met www.met.ie
Free
Éireann
Weather
Radar. Met Éireann
Technical Note No.
62.
A comparison of Biology
and
Environment; Journal
spring
tree Proceedings of the Royal Irish Publication
phenology with a Academy 113B, 47-56. doi:
range
of 10.3318/BIOE.2013.06.
meteorological
parameters.
Met Éireann
Ireland’s climate: www.met.ie
Gleeson, E., the road ahead.
McGrath, R.,
Treanor, M.
(2013)
Met Éireann
Measurements of
Om P.
stratospheric ozone
Tripathi, S. G. at a mid-latitude
Jennings, C. observing
station
D. O’Dowd, Valentia,
Ireland
K. P.
(51.94° N, 10.25°
Lambkin
W), using groundand E.
based
and
Moran
ozonesonde
(2013)
observations from
1994 to 2009.
Met Éireann Painted
lady
Regan, E.C., (Vanessa cardui L.,
Gleeson, E. 1758) migration of
(In press).
2009 as recorded
by the Irish Butterfly
Monitoring Scheme
and
an
investigation
into
the origin of the
migration.
Planning
Local Area Plan
Guidelines
for
Planning
Authorities
(June
2013
Free
J
Atmos
Chem,
DOI Journal
10.1007/s10874-013-9274-5.
Publication
Irish
Naturalists'
Journal, Journal
Volume 32, Part 2, pp108-113. Publication
www.environ.ie
96
Free
Planning
Planning
Planning
Planning
Planning
Proposed Revisions
to
Wind Energy
Development
Guidelines 2006
Targeted Review in
relation to Noise,
Proximity
and
Shadow Flicker –
December
11th
2013
The Development
Contributions
Guidelines
(January 2013)
Design Manual for
Urban Roads and
Streets (DMURS)
Framework for Cooperation Spatial
Strategies
of
Northern Ireland &
the Republic of
Ireland (June 2013)
Guidelines
for
Planning
Authorities and An
Bord Pleanála on
carrying
out
Environmental
Impact
Assessments
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
www.environ.ie
Free
97
APPENDIX 3: Annual Energy Efficiency Reporting - Overview of Energy Usage in
2013
The energy consumption figures for the Department given below cover the
Departmental offices at the Custom House, Wexford and Ballina. Approximately
one third of energy consumption was for space heating, while lighting,
ventilation, hot water, office (IT) and catering equipment accounted for the vast
majority of the remaining energy consumption.
The relevant figures for 2013 are:
Location
Electricity
(MWh)
Gas
Renewable
(MWh) Fuels
(MWh)
Total
(MWh)
% Reduction
on
Baseline Year
(2007)
Custom House
966
1,761
8.5
2,735 (65%)
+20.43%
Ballina
281
267
Nil
548 (13%)
-20%
Wexford
525
396
0.1
921(22%)
+1.3%
4,205
(100%)
-11.4%
Overall, savings in energy consumption across the three Departmental offices for
the period of 2013 against the baseline year (2007) is -11.4%
The baseline year of 2007 is the first year the Department participated in the
OPW “Optimising Power @ Work” scheme, a staff energy awareness campaign in
250 large buildings owned/leased by the OPW for use by Government
Departments and state agencies to reduce CO2 emissions from energy
consumption by the public sector. The main focus of the campaign is an
intensive staff energy awareness campaign in all participating buildings, while at
the same time ensuring that the buildings are being operated in the most
efficient manner possible regarding all energy consuming processes.
The first phase of the Optimising Power @ Work scheme achieved a 14%
reduction in CO2 emissions by May 2010 for the entire public sector (i.e. all
participating buildings) and savings continue to rise. The current target is a
reduction of 20% by end 2015.
The Custom House Dublin has had issues with the heating system and this was
addressed in 2013. This will have the net effect of reducing the heating kWh in
2014.
98
The annual surveillance audit of the Department’s Environmental Management
System for the Custom House took place in November and the NSAI auditor
confirmed ISO 14001 Registration for the building for a further 12 months. The
Custom House certification is in place for the period 2012-2015 with a
surveillance audit being carried out annually by the NSAI – this renewed
certification having been achieved with the help of all staff with particular input
from the Custom House Green Team.
The ISO 1401 audit examined all aspects of environmental management in the
building with particular attention paid to the work of the Green Team and the
many new energy saving initiatives introduced over the last year including the
removal of outdated insulation in the buildings roofs and their replacement with
modern high efficiency thermal insulation and the significant roll-out of new
Multi-Function Devices (MFD’s) in the Custom House in 2013 which over time will
see real savings in in 2014 and beyond in terms of cost of
paper/printing/consumables/etc.
Actions Undertaken in 2013
Last year, the Department undertook a range of initiatives at the three locations
to improve energy performance, including:










Improvements from “turn off” initiatives (PCs and lights);
Technical implementation and installation of new boilers (Ballina);
Re roofing of parts of the Custom House, increasing insulation levels;
Instillation of electrical immersions to allow boilers to be turned off during the
summer (Custom House);
Additional metering installed in the Custom House;
Close monitoring of time clocks on mechanical and electrical systems;
Monthly energy reporting;
Optimising Power @ Work energy awareness campaign in progress;
Presentations in All Departmental buildings; and
Instillation of BMS PC in Custom House.
Action Planned for 2014
In 2014 (and subsequent years), the Department intends to achieve further
improvements in energy performance and efficiency by taking further initiatives,
including:
 Continue to monitor and adjust Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) systems;
 Building Management System audits to be carried out, particularly on new
BMS PC in Custom House;
 Out of hours energy audits to be carried out;
 Renewed focus on staff awareness with presentations as required;
 Recalculate benchmarks and HVAC control performance; and
 Monitor use of solar panels to further improve thermal energy consumption,
particularly with new immersions installed (Custom House).
99