Minister for the Environment Dick Roche has criticsed the way in which the news emerged today that the European Commission is to take legal action against Ireland over a series of breaches of environmental laws.
The cases relate to noxious smells from some sewerage plants, as well as the State's alleged failure to carry out environmental-impact assessments of various projects, including a wind project at Derrybrien, Co Galway.
Minister for the Environment Dick Roche
Work on that project led to an environmental disaster in October 2003, the commission said, with some half a million cubic metres of peat displaced in a landslide that damaged property and killed about 50,000 fish.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Roche said he had not received any communication on these issues from the commission as at lunchtime today. He said he did not believe it was proper that the first the department heard of the matter was when it received a call from a journalist.
The commission had decided to announce the action in a press release, Mr Roche said. He regarded this as an "administrative failure" and said the information had emerged in "the most discourteous way".
Debating the issue with the Green Party TD John Gormley, Mr Roche denied he was skirting around the issues and that Ireland had "a very cavalier" attitude towards its environmental responsibilities.
Mr Roche admitted there had been problems with smells from the Ringsend sewage plant but said guidelines were already being finalised. This would not retrospectively deal with the problem, however.
He said the commission was aware his department was writing regulations. He had meet with the commissioner personally and had a series of meetings in recent weeks. Mr Roche said he believed he had until later this month to respond and he had not received any communication from the commission on the matter before today's news emerged.
On the question of water contamination, Mr Roche said the commission officials also knew "full well" he would be addressing the issues.
They also knew he would deal with issues in relation to the nitrates directive within a matter of days. "We have gone to a very high point of agreement with them," he said.
Mr Roche said it was "extraordinary" that the Commission should take action in this way. "I find this an astonishing way of doing business."
Labour environment spokesman Eamon Gilmore said the Government's "appalling record" on environmental protection was exposed once again with today's news.
"Successive EU surveys have found that Ireland has one of the poorest records when it comes to respecting EU environmental laws. The failure to implement so many key directives sends out the wrong message - that the environment is not important.
"We market ourselves as a 'clean' country both in regard to tourism and food production and it does nothing for our reputation that Ireland is so regularly in the EU dock for failures in this regard," he said.
Fine Gael environment spokesman Fergus O'Dowd said today's development was "not only a national embarrassment" but also proved "the low regard in which Minister Roche's Department holds the institutions of the European Union, our national responsibilities and, most importantly, the health and safety of the Irish people".
Green Party TD John Gormley
"Anyone living in Ringsend in Dublin will know about the deterioration in their quality of life thanks to the botched job on the wastewater treatment facility there. And anyone living close to the 'environmental disaster' in Derrybrien will be aware of the consequences of poor planning," Mr O'Dowd said.
"Much work was done by the Government prior to our Presidency of the European Union to bring our laws into line with European directives. It now appears that the initiative has been lost. The Government had better regain that initiative quickly otherwise we face even more embarrassing news from Europe."
The Green Party welcomed the European Commission decision.
Green Party chairman and TD for Dublin South East John Gormley, who initiated the official complaint in respect of the Ringsend plant, said that there were serious problems at the plant which the Minister could no longer ignore.
"I welcome the fact that the European Commission is now taking action against Ireland for failing to implement the EU Framework Directive on Waste in respect of malodours from sewage treatment plants, for improper implementation of the directive on Environmental Impact Statements, and for failure to provide information on the regulation of substances that deplete the ozone layer.
"This confirms Ireland's status as the environmental delinquents of Europe and the Irish Government's cavalier attitude towards EU directives."
Mr Gormley said he had been forced to initiate the official complaint because he got "no response" from the Irish Government.
"I call on Minister Roche now to officially investigate why this plant is still in its commissioning phase as we face into our third summer since its opening. He should also explain why sludge from this plant is being taken down to Carlow when we were told that the sludge would be processed into a fertiliser product."