Dr. Ciaran Byrne:

Typically, we take prosecutions when we can. We have a very close working relationship with local authorities and the EPA. While I do not have exact figures on the sources for last year, they come under three broad categories, namely, agriculture, wastewater treatment plants and other civil infrastructure, and urban sources. Outside the room, I can provide the Deputy with the breakdown of the number of kills we can attribute to each. If we have 44 fish kills, it does not equate to 44 prosecutions as the threshold and burden of evidence is high. In many cases, it will not be possible to attribute the cause firmly to any particular sector. We might have ideas about it, but it may not reach the threshold required to take a criminal prosecution.