Richard O'Donoghue: Investigate Wind Farm Health Concerns

Thank you László and Cola. Tánaiste, today I am raising about wind farms and health implications about wind farms. A number of weeks ago I was copied in a serious letter from SEPA to the Minister of Health. I informed there has been no response and not even an acknowledgement. Representatives from five counties are in the public gallery today from Limerick, Mayo, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Offaly, including members of the Stonestone community in Offaly who lives beside Cathaoirleach wind farms. For more than three years the community has raised nice complaints with the local authority and the HSE and the EPA. The crucial point is this HSE Environmental Health examined the matter, visited the community and they requested a public health investigation of the complaints. The public health denied it. So one department is looking for an investigation and public health denied it. I want to understand why. The HSE is our expert public health agency. If its own Environmental Health Services believes a matter warrants further investigation, what justification has it got to deny it? Does the Department of Health have a refusal to request? This is not an isolated issue. In Limerick there are long-running complaints relating to turbine noise and shadow flicker in Kilmeade and Morristown. In Clare the HSE investigated a wind farm in its neighbourhood following complaints and addressed the local authority and I have a copy of that investigation. What we have here Minister is you've met with me a number of years ago with SEPA and we discussed these complaints. The Taoiseach was on the record 13 years ago saying that there is a health implications around wind farms. Now what I want you to do today and I want everyone sitting here today all round the house. There are two children sitting up in the gallery with their parents. A 12 year old and a 10 year old. And I want you to tell them that you are going to sit there and not investigate the issues and hide things until 2030. When their parents get complaints that they have come to school that their children are falling asleep in class. If it was your child how would you feel as a parent? Would you deny this for 13 years? Would you deny it for 10 minutes if it was your own child? It has been proven without doubt there is health implications for wind turbines in certain areas. I'm not against wind turbines myself. In areas that they don't have health implications. But this has. So when you're making your statements to me today I want you to think of the children and the families that this is affecting. Thank you Deputy. Donoghue. Thanks very much Deputy O'Donoghue for raising this issue and to acknowledge it's not the first time that you have raised this issue and to acknowledge your genuine interest and active involvement in this issue. I mean I'm consistently on the record of the importance of publishing new guidelines in relation to wind energy and in relation to wind farms. I'm a believer, as I think you said you are, in the switch to renewable energy. I think it's important. I think it's really important. I think we've seen what happens when we live in a country that is too reliant on fossil fuel. We all know that. And we can have debates about how to make that transition. But our country is still addicted to fossil fuel and the impact of that on consumers, on citizens in your constituency and mine every time somebody makes a decision thousands of kilometres from here isn't actually an abstract thing anymore. It's happened not once but twice in the last five years and plunged us into challenges that cost a living, crises and real, real difficulties for people. So we all accept that point and we're not rowing on that point or debating that point. What you are saying though is that it's important that there's guidelines that are clear, that are evidence-based and that are published. And you'll remember the Planning and Development Act which passed this House just towards the end of 24, I think, that replaced ministerial guidelines with a new structure of national planning statements. More robust, I think a better process. And there is now work nearing conclusion on a national planning statement in relation to this. And that needs to provide that certainty and clarity as to who can and can't build a wind farm and where, and the distance and the flicker and a number of the issues that you have raised as well. I know I hear, and I'm not getting into a row or dispute with anybody, I hear different things. I'm told that there has actually been in Offaly, for example, the council has been extensively engaging. Perhaps people have different views but that's what I had certainly heard from my engagement with Deputy Clindennan on this as well. And it is really important that people engage. It's really important that the planning authority engage. It's really important they take on board views of local communities too. But it's most important that we have absolute clarity because we need renewable energy. We need to make that switch. We need to make it with a sense of urgency. And I think in fairness to everybody, including your constituents that you referenced, their children, the communities, having that clarity as to what is an appropriate distance and what is an inappropriate distance and settling that question for once and for all, I think is useful. We did have private members legislation in this house, I think from Deputy Stanley from my memory. In relation to that, the government took the decision not to oppose that but to have a timed amendment to provide that space for this new national planning statement to conclude. And in front of you raising this, I'll ask that both Minister Brown and Minister Cummins revert to you on the matter. Thank you, Tadhg. The issue here is this inconsistency. In Dun Laoghaire, Rackdown, all noise complaints received by the local authority are investigated by the HSE. Residents in Offaly and in Limerick are wondering why this approach has been taken in their cases. And it depends on what county you live in in Ireland that you don't get the investigations. So it's the inconsistency that's going on here. So why should you access a health investigation depending on the county where somebody lives? And we can see in Dun Laoghaire it's different. It has been more than two years since you have met with SEPA and people with the wind farms. What I'm asking here today, Tadhg says, is I want you to meet with them and the people within Offaly. And I will attend as well. And I'd also like to have the Health Minister there as well to meet these people to see can we relieve concerns and for young children to be entitled and their families entitled to a night's sleep. This can't go on for more and more years. We've been talking about this for years, years on years. Think of the health implications and how we can help. So will you agree to meet with the Minister of Health and meet these SEPA and family group with me? Thanks, David. I've had this long enough to know not to start making diary commitments on the floor of the Dáil. But look, government will continue to engage with communities on this issue. And you've referenced some of my own constituents here who I obviously engage in my own constituents. I'm happy to do that also. But I think your point about, and not across the level of detail that you've given me there and let me reflect on that, but the point you make around inconsistency in general is an issue that we want to try and stamp out. I mean, a planning system does well when it is consistent. That's one of the reasons why we changed the rural planning guidelines this week. It's one of the reasons why we're changing the exempted development guidelines. Because you shouldn't, particularly in a small country, have a different approach from a planning point of view from here versus here, outside and above and beyond normal norms, if you like, that local authorities may wish to have. So the purpose of moving to national planning statements is to move away from those inconsistencies. I do accept, and it would be wrong and disingenuous of me to suggest anything to the contrary, that it has taken a very significant period of time to get to the new wing guidelines. I accept that point. It's true. I know it's a cause of significant frustration for communities. I know it was when you and I had that meeting too. But I would also just point out a lot has changed since too, including the Planning and Development Act. And it's really important that these new standards are up to date with the best possible information. And I expect that to happen. I expect that to happen this year. And I will certainly arrange for a meeting to take place with government in terms of who the appropriate people is. I'll revert to you.