Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment

1. Copy of the draft Wind Energy Development Guidelines that’s currently in progress as of 24 Apr 2026 and a status update on the Guidelines, including reasons for delays to meeting the target completion date of Q1 2025 as communicated by Deputy James Browne on Tues 11 Feb 2025. 2. All Meeting Minutes or any relevant records, in the public interest or concern for public health, relating to the updating of the Guidelines from the relevant department thats currently working on these Guidelines for the last 12 months. 3. All meeting minutes, relevant records, communications, in the public interest relating to Noise Consultants appointed in May 2023 in context of environmental noise remit as communicated by Deputy James Browne on Tues 11 Feb 2025. On Tuesday 28/04/2026 the request was refined to Part 3 only. On 14/05/2026, the request was further refined to: Under the AIE Regulations, I request access to the following records held by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment concerning the review and updating of the Wind Energy Development Guidelines, specifically in relation to environmental noise assessment and health considerations. Timeframe: 1 May 2023 to present. I request: 1. Any final reports, draft reports, technical assessments, recommendations or deliverables submitted by the noise consultants appointed in or around May 2023 in relation to wind turbine noise assessment methodologies, setback distances, low-frequency noise, amplitude modulation, or health impacts. 2. Any briefing notes, submissions, decision papers or memoranda prepared for the Minister or senior management concerning: - delays in updating the Wind Energy Development Guidelines; - reasons for delays associated with noise assessment work; - outstanding scientific, technical or health issues under consideration. 3. Records of meetings (including minutes, agendas or action notes) between the Department and: - the appointed noise consultants; - the Department of Health; - the HSE; - external scientific or acoustic advisors, where the primary subject was wind turbine noise assessment or health impacts 4. Any records setting out: - proposed or recommended noise limits; - revised setback guidance; - health-based assessment criteria; - policy options considered by the Department. 5. Any correspondence or briefing material prepared in response to parliamentary questions, ministerial representations or public statements made by Deputy James Browne on 11 February 2025 concerning the environmental noise remit or the work of the appointed consultants. To assist processing and reduce burden, I am content to exclude: - duplicate emails, - purely administrative scheduling correspondence, - circulated copies of published material already publicly available.