Where to Complain
Pollution, Illegal Waste, Noise, Water Quality
There are a number of state bodies with responsibilities for environmental protection and the purpose of this procedure is to provide a streamlined and transparent service to the public so that environmental complaints can be processed in an effective, timely and consistent manner. The relevant state bodies are set out below.
Local Authorities (City and County Councils):
These have primary responsibility for investigating and resolving complaints about pollution and environmental protection matters in their functional areas. Click on the crests at right to visit their websites.
When Should You Contact a Local Authority?
You should contact your Local Authority about pollution incidents, contamination of drinking water, reports about illegal dumping and complaints about general environmental pollution. Matters should be reported in the first instance to the local Authority in whose area the incident occurred. When you contact a local authority, the matter will be directed to the appropriate personnel in the relevant section.
Water pollution complaints should also be reported to the relevant Regional Fisheries Boards, which operate a 24-hour emergency answering service for the reporting of emergency situations of such complaints.
When Should You Contact the Regional Fisheries Board?
If your complaint concerns a fish kill or a water pollution incident, the matter should be reported to the relevant Regional Fisheries Board as well as to the relevant local authority. The Regional Fisheries Boards operate a 24-hour emergency answering service for the reporting of emergency situations of such complaints.
The EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE):
The OEE is responsible for enforcing licences issued by the EPA and also acts as a resource for members of the public who have exhausted all other avenues of complaint.
When Should You Contact the Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE)?
Where you have made a complaint to a local authority on environmental issues, and the local authority fails to respond to your complaint and the environmental pollution problem persists. you should then contact the OEE Public Authority Enforcement, so that your complaint can be investigated. Copies of all correspondence between yourself and the local authority should be submitted along with details of your complaint.
Standard forms for submission of complaints to the OEE are available on the EPA website at www.epa.ie. To achieve maximum effectiveness, the OEE will, as a general rule, focus on priority issues and the investigation of serious cases of environmental pollution.
The Health Service Executive (HSE):
The HSE is responsible for dealing with complaints about public health matters. The Regional Fisheries Boards are statutory bodies mainly responsible for aquatic life forms and the fish habitat. They investigate complaints about fish kills and water pollution matters, including pollution arising from Local Authority Works and are also interested in any activity that impacts on waters such as dredging, gravel removal, bridge construction etc.
When Should You Contact the Health Services Executive?
Concerns about public health should be brought to the attention of the Health Services Executive (previously known as the Health Boards). This means that if you have a concern about impacts of an activity or incident on your own health, the health of your family or the health of the wider community, contact should be made with the Health Services Executive so that public health issues can be investigated.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service:
This Service is responsible for investigating complaints about wildlife and habitat protection matters.
When Should You Contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service?
If your complaint is in relation to habitat protection such as damage to wildlife, flora and fauna or protected areas such as Natural Heritage Areas, you should contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The Health & Safety Authority (HSA):
The HSA is responsible for securing health and safety in the workplace.
When Should You Contact the Health & Safety Authority?
If your complaint is in relation to matters concerning health and safety in the workplace, you should contact the Health & Safety Authority.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI):
This body aims to protect consumers' health and consumers' interests by ensuring that food consumed, distributed, marketed or produced in the state meets the highest standards of food safety and hygiene.
When Should You Contact the Food Safety Authority?
If your complaint relates to matters of food safety and hygiene, you should contact the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII):
The RPII is the national organisation with regulatory, monitoring and advisory responsibilities in matters pertaining to ionising radiation and with radioactive contamination in the environment.
When Should You Contact the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland?
If your complaint is in relation to matters concerning the use of sources of ionising radiation or if you wish to report an incident involving a source of ionising radiation, then the matter should be referred to the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland.
