Minister announces ban on smoky coal around the country

The Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has announced a nationwide extension of the ban on smoky coal.

It was brought in in Dublin 25 years ago and Minister Kelly says there have been significant health benefits.

These include a reduction in respiratory problems, with an estimated 8,000 lives saved in Dublin since the ban in 1990.

Minister Kelly says there will be further health, as well as economic, benefits to the tune of €53m per year, when the ban is extended nationwide.