Mr. Gerry Gunning:

Mr. Silke's figures are based upon an event 37 years ago, a very dry spell in the mid-1970s. That event has not recurred since. As anyone in that region or the west knows, the summers are constantly wet, etc. Basing levels on something that occurred 37 years ago is wrong. Waterways Ireland asserts that it has been given legislative power by the Oireachtas, but the Oireachtas must deal with this issue because of the obsolete figures.