Public Access to Enforcement Files

Our Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) has four teams dedicated to licence enforcement, located at regional offices in Cork, Dublin and Castlebar and at our Headquarters in Wexford.

The OEE provides public access to information on the enforcement of Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) and Waste Licences.  This includes all correspondence from the licensee, the Environmental Protection Agency and third parties. 

Access is provided at our offices in Wexford, Castlebar, Cork and Dublin.

To ensure availability of files at the time of your visit, make a prior appointment with the regional office, and remember that opening hours of offices vary.

For details in relation to access to licensing files (applications for licences and associated correspondence), please see the Office of Licensing and Guidance’s public viewing procedure.

A PC is available at each regional office on which you may browse and print information from this website. 

Photocopiers are available so you can copy the items you require on the day of your visit at the regional office at a specific cost rate per page.

Alternatively our staff can photocopy material for you at a higher cost per page. This service is not undertaken on the day of your visit.  Charges for both these options are set out in the OEE Public Viewing Procedure.

Website access

The OEE provide access via our website to electronic Annual Environmental Reports for licensed facilities, submitted for the reporting year 2008.  These reports set out performance information on objectives and targets; environmental management programmes; complaints and emission summaries and other reports required under the conditions of the licence.  Where the reports are not currently available in electronic format on the web, please refer to information above regarding Public Access to files.

Learn more

View Annual Environmental Reports.

 

Public Access to Enforcement Information

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) maintains a policy of openness and transparency in the performance of its functions; this policy is in accordance with the Aarhus Convention and in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and Access to Information on the Environment Regulations 2007 - 2014.

The Office of Environmental Enforcement provides public access to information in relation to the enforcement of Industrial Emissions, Integrated Pollution Control and Waste Management Licences and Waste water Discharge Authorisations.  Information relating to the enforcement of licences includes all formal enforcement correspondence between licensees and the EPA. It also includes correspondence from third parties, subject to compliance with the Data Protection Acts 1988 - 2003.

Enforcement information is available in a number of formats:

   Information available on the EPA website:

 A lot of information is available on the EPA website, including

Licence Details Pages: Key enforcement documents including Annual Environmental Reports (AERs), Self-Monitoring Reports and Performance Reports from Licensees; EPA Site Visit Reports (inspection and compliance monitoring), Site Closure and Decommissioning information.

The Licence Details page for each EPA licence or permit may be accessed through the “Search for Licence/Permit” link in either the “Licensing and Permitting” or “Enforcement” modules of the EPA website.

    Licence Enforcement Access Portal (LEAP)

  • LEAP is an electronic information resource that can be accessed on appointment at the public viewing facilities at EPA’s Headquarters in Wexford and at our Regional Offices in Dublin, Cork and Castlebar. 
  • LEAP provides public access to all Formal Enforcement Correspondence between the EPA and its licensees (including holders of authorisations and permits) in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act and Access to Information on the Environment Regulations. This includes all of the key enforcement documents that are available on the Licence Details Pages, plus the ongoing routine and non-routine correspondence such as site updates, notifications of, and responses to, incidents, complaints and non-compliances.
  • LEAP also provides details of interactions the EPA and licensees in relation to Compliance Investigations. These are formal interventions taken by the EPA where considered necessary to address non-compliance at licensed sites; they are used to specify the responses that licensees must make to achieve improvements in compliance status.
  • LEAP was introduced in January 2013; all Formal Enforcement Correspondence since that date are available to view on the LEAP Portal. You may also print copies of any records of interest using the linked printer / photocopier (see below).

    Archived enforcement correspondence files

  • EPA maintains archives of historic enforcement correspondence relating to the period prior to the introduction of the LEAP Portal. These files are also available to view, but please note that requests to view historic archives are subject to prior arrangement; please allow a minimum of 10 working days to facilitate retrieval of the files. You will be notified when the files you requested are available for your viewing.

    Making copies of enforcement records

  • A printer & photocopier are available at each of the public viewing facilities at EPA’s Headquarters in Wexford and at our Regional Offices in Dublin, Cork and Castlebar.
  • You can make prints or copies of the items you require on the day of your visit at the regional office at a specific cost rate per page.
  • Alternatively, our staff can photocopy material for you at a higher cost per page. This service will not be undertaken on the day of your visit; the requested materials will be forwarded to you subsequently.
  • Charges for both these options are set out in the OEE Public Viewing Procedure.

Learn more

View information regarding Annual Environmental Reports.