Mr. Mark Boyden:

I thank the Deputy. I will pick up on the themes regarding outreach and public engagement. Dr. Crowe referred to it. Mr. Eddie Burgess referred to the citizens' science-related engagements with farmers, which is really important. Going back to these questions of getting people involved, getting them to care, and moving the water question higher on the political agenda, awareness is key. The local authority waters programme, LAWPRO, has a huge role to play, as does the Rivers Trust and local initiatives such as the one at the River Camac that Deputy Ó Broin referred to. These are significant and need to be endowed properly. My day job is production of the StreamScapes programme. Over the last 33 years, since 1989, we have worked in 24 counties, both North and South. We work with local communities to produce awareness-raising activities. Awareness leads to pride, concern and then to action. We have to look at this. I know Tom Collins, as previous chair of the Water Forum, was looking at how these issues could be incorporated into the national curriculum at primary school and perhaps also secondary school level.

We want to reinforce and second all those mentions of citizen science and engagement, as well awareness of best practice. We get participants in StreamScapes programmes to consider that their toilet, shower and sink are all ultimately tributaries to the river, so they could be given names. Simple, creative interventions such as this can go a long way to changing the status of our waters.