Mr. Michael Starrett:

I do not wish to address the Irish Water point but there were two other issues to which I would like to respond. I hope I have given an understanding that the Heritage Council is concerned with ensuring that it is working at community level to find a good way of doing things, whatever that may be.

In regard to the question on legislation and property rights, I am very Irish and very well aware of the issues. The Heritage Council proposals are nothing to do with whittling down anything such as that. It is about enabling and empowering communities, including landowners, to develop something for themselves. This is a democracy and we work through legislation. I have said that we are very weak on that form of enabling and empowering legislation. We have very strong regulation and imposition legislation but need enabling and empowering legislation.

In regard to the Burren, I have said that the National Biodiversity Data Centre was the first time there was quality data available to those scientists. Many of those decisions were therefore based on informed opinion. I am glad to say that Ireland is now in the position that much more informed decisions can be made and hopefully that the types of disaster, to use the Deputy's word, that happened will not happen again. The Burren Life project is a shining example from which we could all learn, whether it was the Burren IFA, Michael Davoren or whoever else has driven it forward. A contribution was also made by a very good scientist, Mr. Brendan Dunford, who was sent down there and understood the situation and the Heritage Council was there at the outset.