Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in. There was an awful lot in their detailed opening statements, which are much appreciated. I will make one point and then ask a question of the witnesses. It is important to make the point that this is the committee on agriculture and that is very much the lens through which we are looking at this issue. While lots of different people and sectors cause issues when it comes to water quality, farmers, particularly those in derogation, are the ones who are hit financially. It is their livelihoods that are at stake.

A lot of them are under pressure, facing an uncertain future and they wonder if their children will have a future in agriculture. For those people this is an issue of huge concern. While nobody here is under the Department of agriculture, that is the focus from which we look at this. It is important to set that out.

A lot has been said, but my question relates to the water framework directive. There has been uncertainty. When the Commissioner came to Ireland, he spoke about stable water quality for the next look at the derogation. However, it then became about how we need to be meeting what is laid out under the directive. We know that has to be achieved between now and 2027. Leaving the farmers to one side, my question is to Uisce Éireann in particular. What are its responsibilities? What does it need to achieve under the directive to get us there? As I have said, leaving farmers to one side, there is a role for everyone in this room. If farmers did everything asked of them, in particular those in the derogation, it would not be enough to achieve what is under the water framework directive. If Uisce Éireann has three, four, five or ten measures to achieve under that, will it achieve them by 2027? What work is it doing in areas outside agriculture to reach the recommendations laid out in the directive that we are expected to, and should meet, by 2027?