Dr. Eimear Cotter:

Let me state it again then, that our starting point overall is that 6% of water bodies are at environmental risk due to abstractions. That allows us to focus our efforts where that environmental risk is going to be greatest. That is our starting point, to ensure we know where there is an environmental risk, and so we can focus our efforts on controlling and understanding them through our risk assessment and, following on from that, through the licensing regime. That risk-based approach is proportionate given the risk we know exists there overall for water abstractions in the State.