Richard O'Donoghue presses for clarity on windfarm health guidelines

Today I ask you today about wind farms and the health implications of wind farms. My journey started with wind farms and to get for the health implications of wind farms started with Kool Kappa. Over two years ago we talked about wind turbines and the health implications. Recently we had meetings in Brough, with people from Brough, Drummond and Naglaka and then we had a meeting in Burri recently about wind turbines and how now that the wind turbines have been taken out of the local authorities section now that they don't have any input into it, that it's now gone for strategic infrastructure which means it goes straight on board Panala. There's an influx of wind farms at the moment being applied for across the country. In 2006 the health guidelines about wind turbines. In June 2013 Michal Martin stood in front of Indy Kenny here and told them, and I have it here in front of me, that the implications for health in wind turbines is real. In 2019 the guidelines were upgraded but now we are waiting for the guidelines around wind turbines. We are talking about health here. But did the people in this room know that if a wind turbine goes into your area, and I want nothing against the landholders that are putting up wind turbines. And I ask people not to go after them. But in the contracts it states, for people to put up wind turbines, that where the wind turbines go, they can place them wherever they like within their farms. That could be within two or three hundred meters of your house, where they have flicker and shadow. It also can be within a place of a school or other places that they are causing health implications. The World Health Organization say one meter for every ten. In Ireland we are one meter to every four. But the World Health Organization are telling you one meter on every ten. If a wind turbine company is successful in your area, they can then use, if you want to build a house or your son or daughter or anyone in the area, within three kilometres of a wind turbine, they can object. And what are their objections? That these wind turbines may cause flicker and shadow. This is what they are telling you within a three kilometre. And they are using that as objections against houses themselves. And you also have to sign up that you cannot, if you sign up for it, you cannot object to anything from an environmental perspective within ten years of your contracts. So on one hand they are telling you that there is shadow and flicker if you go to build a house. But on the other hand, they are telling you there is no shadow and flicker if they build them close to your house. So when are the guidelines eventually going to be published? You have met the People Minister, so now I need to know. Thank you. Thank you very much Deputy O'Donogh for raising this issue again today on behalf of your constituents. And I know it is an issue you raise regularly. And look, let me just say at the outset, and I think we agree on this, but it is certainly my position of that of the government is that I mean wind energy is a good thing. Renewable energy is a good thing. And certainly the health consequences of not having good clean renewable energy far outweighs other issues in terms of health implications. Because you know, think of all the health implications caused by the climate emergency, and think indeed of all the health implications caused by the burning of fuels that pollute our atmosphere and all the lung conditions and respiratory conditions and the impact we have seen in all of our communities from that over very, very many years. And the good work done by our predecessors like Mary Harney on smokeless fuel and the likes as well. So I just want to say that. So I think the point you are making and the point you make frequently and well is about the need for planning guidelines in terms of communities, local authorities, planning authorities, understanding what are the rules in which planning can be granted in relation to this. And I know I met some of your constituents on this matter previously in the last government as well. So the review of the guidelines has, as you rightly say, been going on for a very long time. I fully accept that point. Indeed, it has been going on for several years now. I am informed, when I spoke to the Minister of State with responsibility for planning Minister Cummins today and Mr Brown before, significant progress has been made towards now concluding the review process. The review is looking at all the aspects, setback distance, noise, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend, which is always an important point too, and grid connection as well. Now the noise aspect, I believe, of this review has been highly technical and it took considerably longer than was perhaps originally expected, but I understand that is now substantially complete. So there is a real effort by Minister Cummins, his officials, his department to get this right, and I thank him for his work on this. In addition to the noise aspect of the guidelines that added to the length, the evolving policy and technical context, including our new planning and development act which we passed last year, you will recall, and the first revision of the national planning framework, which was approved by the Oireachtas at the end of April of this year, reinforced the need to get the finalised guidelines right and to make sure they are fit for purpose and fit for that context as well. What we are trying to do here is strike a balance, a balance between the planning views of local communities and the impact on their own areas, and also the need to obviously have renewable and sustainable forms of energy as well. So there is a specific commitment in the programme for government to prioritise the publication of these guidelines. I know Minister Cummins is prioritising this work, a strategic environment assessment has been carried out, and then a public consultation on the draft, updated guidelines will take place as well. That will provide you, your constituents, your party with an opportunity to submit observations on that draft as well, and I will keep you informed of this too. Thank you, Tonya. In the interim, there is an influx of wind turbines being put up. 16,000 wind turbines is what Em and Ryan had signed up for in Europe to go inland in Ireland, and then they laid the demaps for five years so we could not look at offshore, and they are talking about renewable energy. They laid them for five years. We are talking about health implications. Did the people know in this room that when the wind turbines are turned off, the wind turbine company gets more money for when their wind turbines are turned off through funds from government than when they are on, because it is based within the contracts that they have. When they are off, they earn more money. So now what they are doing, they are applying for wind turbines in low wind areas, and they are increasing the height of the wind turbines to try and make the statistics work. I was with Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gale councillors in Boree recently, and they asked us to nail our colours to the mass, and they said they agreed with me for health implications. This needs to happen. They also mentioned Deputy Niall Collins, that he had nailed his colours to the mass, that he said he agreed as well. I need to know from Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gale, do they agree with the health implications of the world's health implications for people when the wind turbines go up, and will they take full responsibility knowingly that the health organisations have told you that they are causing health implications? And will you take personal responsibility? Because knowingly you are doing it, and in a legal term, if you are knowingly doing something, you are personally responsible. So please can Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gale nail their colours to the mass for the health implications of wind turbines in proximity to houses, schools and other accessories, that they are okay with it. And 19 to 20 years delaying the guidelines is not helping the health implications. We are talking about health! I am quite sure that my Fianna Gale councillors agree with me as well in terms of wanting to get this right and in terms of this being about a balance in terms of planning. Look, I would make the point in relation more broadly to health, sitting beside the Minister for Health, you know, the health impact of climate, climate change, the climate emergency is very, very real. And indeed, we all know in our communities, and I think we all agree on this across the House, I mean, the health implications of people breathing in dirty air has been very, very real in terms of cancers, in terms of respiratory disease. So I mean, the move to renewables is a really good thing. It is a really, really good thing. And the commitment that we have in this country is to get to 80 per cent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030. I do not want to be argumentative because I know it is an important issue to your constituents, but the ownership issue is a different issue. I am talking about how we are going to power the country and how we are going to have clean air. And offshore is a very important part, and indeed, my constituency will see a significant amount of that. But this is about getting the planning guidelines right. There are lots and lots of different views about health and climate as well. I must look at those points that you make. And I am saying to you, but more importantly, what I am saying to your constituents today, and people I meet across the country looking for guidelines in relation to this, the publication of new revised guidelines is a priority for the government. And we will have an opportunity to have consultation on those guidelines so communities can directly have their say in the coming months, and Minister John Cummins is leading on that for us. I will now move to...