Mr. Denis Drennan:

The Deputy is asking about wastewater treatment. I sit on the water forum on behalf of the ICMSA. That forum has requested information on wastewater treatment plants throughout Ireland from Irish Water. We have asked it for that for the past three years. There are approximately 54 areas where raw sewage is going straight into wastewater treatment plants but the bigger question related to the level of treatment. Is it primary, secondary, tertiary or total treatment? Is there nutrient recovery from any of the wastewater treatment plants? Irish Water will not provide us with that information.

If we look at what happened earlier this summer, there was a huge celebration because a sod was turned for Arklow wastewater treatment plant 20 years after the problem developed there. As Deputy Cahill said, how many areas are there in his constituency where sewage is being released into water? Under the old system, when floodwaters come, the gates are opened and off it goes. Everybody has to work together. We accept farmers are part of the problem. We want to be part of the solution. We are embracing any advice we get on any technology. Our general secretary, Mr. Enright, has told the committee about the ASSAP programme. I sit on the consultative group for that programme. There is some 94% engagement by farmers with ASSAP, even though it is a voluntary programme, and 91% of the measures asked of farmers are being implemented.