Government approves legislation to improve air quality, protecting our health and environment
- Published on: 8 July 2025
- Last updated on: 8 July 2025
- amendments to Air Pollution Act will enhance enforcement
- second Clean Air Strategy Progress Report outlines significant improvements in Ireland's air quality
The government today approved amendments to the Air Pollution Act that will provide robust legislation to protect people across Ireland from the harmful impacts of air pollution and strengthen the suite of enforcement tools available to Local Authorities to tackle the sale and supply of non-compliant solid fuels. The Air Pollution (Amendment) Bill 2025 was a key action of the Clean Air Strategy, to put in place the necessary legal provisions to realise the full environmental and health benefits of cleaner air. The second progress report of the Clean Air Strategy was brought before Government last week.
Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien, outlined other significant developments under the strategy:
- a pilot project with select local authorities focusing on transport and solid fuel burning concerns has been established, with €500,000 allocated for support
- new awareness resources developed by the Irish Heart Foundation, with support from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment
- Cork City Council, with support from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, launched www.cleanair.ie – providing information on pollution sources, health impacts, and practical actions for positive change
- reduced nitrogen fertilizer use and increased adoption of low-emission slurry spreading have resulted in Ireland coming into compliance with ammonia emission reduction targets under the National Emissions Ceiling Directive (NECD) in 2023
Speaking about the Air Pollution Bill and Progress Report, Minister O'Brien said:
"1,700 premature deaths were attributed to air pollution in Ireland in 2022. Our aim is to significantly reduce that number as we continue to implement the Clean Air Strategy. The amendments to the current act, as proposed in this bill, are a key next step in its delivery. It will go a long way to ensure we have the legislation in place to support the measures required to continue to reduce air pollution. I look forward to working with my colleagues across Government to introduce this new legislation."
The proposed amendments to the act are primarily focused on strengthening the suite of enforcement tools available to local authorities to tackle one of the main issues which affects our air quality, namely the commercial sale and supply of non-compliant solid fuels. The legislation will facilitate quicker, simpler and more proportionate enforcement at a local level in this regard.
The bill in itself does not impact on the current arrangements in place for householders and makes no changes to the existing rules that relate to turf.