Pippa Hackett

The Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill introduces fees for different types of appeals and limits who may appeal directly to the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) without first taking part in the public consultation process.

The bill has been sharply criticised by environmentalist groups, many of which allege it breaches the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.

However, Pippa Hackett, the minister of state for land use and biodiversity, told TDs yesterday that the “charging of modest fees for submissions and appeals” is “Aarhus compliant, as is the bill”.

Senator Hackett said the bill had been scrutinised by lawyers and the Aarhus unit in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

She added: “We are satisfied, therefore, that the Bill and the modest fees, which I indicated would be in the region of €20 for a submission and €200 for an appeal, are compliant with the Aarhus convention.

“The fees are not intended to remove people from the process. It is reasonable to recoup some of the costs of the appeals process.”