The Environment Minister has extended the smoky coal ban nationwide at a conference in Dublin today, 28 September.

Speaking at the conference, held in the Wood Quay offices of Dublin City Council, Minister Alan Kelly said: "It is right to extend the benefits of the ban on smoky coal nationwide. These benefits include very significant reductions in respiratory problems and indeed mortalities from the effects of burning smoky coal. In the region of 8,000 lives have been saved in Dublin since the introduction of the smoky coal ban in 1990 and further health and economic benefits (estimated at €53m per year) will be realised when the ban is extended nationwide."

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Minister Kelly also said the success of the introduction of the ban in Dublin, and its subsequent extension to larger towns around the country has resulted in the anomaly whereby air quality in some provincial towns during the winter is of a vastly poorer quality than in the cities and larger urban areas.

(CD/LM)