309. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the range of legislative and statutory provisions to control and monitor industrial emissions and pollution and to protect persons from harm; the extent to which these provisions extend to night-time activity; the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50783/19]

The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset for the people of Ireland. It is committed to protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation and pollution. The Agency undertakes a range of regulatory tasks relating to the licensing, permitting, consenting and certification of activities that could have an impact on the environment or on human health. In this context, the Agency is the competent authority for granting and enforcing industrial and waste licences.

The main legal instruments pertaining to the Agency are the:

- Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992;

- Waste Management Act 1996;

- Protection of the Environment Act 2003;

- Radiological Protection Acts 1991 to 2014;

- amendments to the above Acts; and

- regulations made under the above Acts and the European Communities Act.

Further information on the Agency’s functions in this regard is available on the Agency’s website at www.epa.ie