Mr. Francis O'Donnell:

In a perfect world, I would start with water quality. We will have a significant problem for the next 20 years if EU policy is changed regarding intensive farming in Ireland. We can deal with point source pollution with more boots on the ground. There are a significant number of prosecutions every year in this area. We could have more if we had more people to do it. The diffuse pollution problem will be there for 20, 25 or 30 years. It is not necessarily something we can control. However, we have a very strong opinion on it which we make known to our Minister. I think we all know that in this room.

On climate change, it is uncertain. Take Atlantic salmon numbers, for example. In 1973 or 1974, 1.2 million salmon returned to Ireland. That is down to 189,000 now. For every 100 juvenile salmon that left our rivers 20 years ago, 15 were coming back. That is down to about two now. They are leaving the river systems to a certain degree - not as many of them - but the numbers returning are way down. We believe that when they go to their feeding grounds, there is an interruption in food webs and trophic structures. Food availability is not there for them. They evolved over a long period to go to one place. It is not like us; if we do not get food somewhere, we go somewhere else. They do not do that. Climate change is a problem. In our work monitoring catchments, we have had probes out for a significant number of years. We are seeing temperatures going way above lethal temperatures for trout and salmon. They are dying in the middle of the summer in our river systems. There is nothing we can do about it because there is no tree cover to protect them. They cannot really go anywhere. When juvenile salmon and trout are in a certain age class, they do not move into deep water. They stay in a certain shallow substrate type so they are very vulnerable.

We are in discussions with the NPWS. I will meet Niall Ó Donnchú in December to discuss sharing powers between both agencies. I have no issue with authorised officers working for NPWS or other agencies having our powers and vice versa. If we had powers to enforce wildlife legislation or the habitats directive, for example, it would probably mean 200 additional people on the ground in the morning. There is a discussion to be had. The NPWS is open to that. My Minister and my Department are as well. Historically, agencies liked to hold onto their own enforcement responsibilities and powers - it was an attitude of "we will keep that". We are in a crisis. Nature needs to benefit from this and so does the taxpayer. If we can double up the powers I and my officers have on the ground, it would make a lot of sense.