Malcolm Noonan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I apologise, as I am double jobbing and I have come from the arts committee. I missed the presentations but I had a good read through the CLEAR report and the other supporting documentation. I have a general comment. If we leave this committee room with a recommendation on collaboration and bringing agencies, bodies, farmers, representatives and all the stakeholders together to try to move towards a long-term plan to resolve this serious ecological problem, then we will have done some good work. If the committee has done any good, it is in bringing everyone together for this session.

I see a number of opportunities through the nature restoration plan, the MPA LIFE project and many other funding opportunities, including through what Dr. Bleasdale spoke about, which is the interconnectedness of the water action plan and the national biodiversity action plan. All of these give us an opportunity to try to look at how we can collaborate, be that on an application for a LIFE project or an EIP that works with landowners. Farm plan schemes may also have been mentioned.

Working farm by farm and landowner by landowner could provide some way forward but it requires someone to take the lead and put together a stakeholder group that would begin the process of looking at how we can collectively address the situation. It will take more than a five-year LIFE project. It will require a much longer term view. The problems have been persistent for decades. I suggest that putting together a recommendation from the committee that might lead us to a place where an agency, be it Wexford County Council or another body, takes the lead on bringing together the stakeholders, looking to see where the funding opportunities lie and seeing where the collaboration can begin to emerge. I know there have been many individual efforts but what this is about now is bringing together much more collaboration to try to address the challenges we have. I hope this is of some use in finding a way forward.

There was some mention of septic tank inspections. There was a pretty damning EPA report on this a number of weeks ago. Only four local authorities carried out 95% of inspections in the country, Wexford being one of them. Of the approximately 90 inspections, 60 failed to meet the standards. The septic tank grant is not fit for purpose. It is too onerous and too difficult to apply for. The criteria for application are too difficult. The Government needs to look at this. It is something we might consider at some stage. It is a serious problem throughout the country. It may not be the main contributor to this problem but it is something we should give consideration to.

Perhaps we can look at finding a way forward, try to work together and try to bring stakeholders together to examine where the funding opportunities lie. I agree wholeheartedly and do not see it as compensation. Farmers need to be paid for ecosystem services and carrying out actions on their land that will improve it. BurrenLIFE was mentioned. Results-based payment schemes are the way forward. Separately, we need to look at challenges such as this and look at the design of the next ACRES and how it might fit into what we are trying to achieve.