Dr. Cathal Gallagher:

The questions were very interesting. There is an example that is working quite well at the moment, and it is the focus that is being brought onto the third cycle of the water framework directive. That governance structure starts with the water policy advisory committee, WPAC. Part of that brings together all of the Departments and the agencies that sit at that high level and decide what is going to be done. That, to some degree, is driving this programme. It has driven the introduction of LAWPRO but it has also impacted on all of the agricultural schemes with regard to water. It is also driving some of the legislation, like the abstraction legislation that is coming through at the moment.

I think that is a good example. If it is something similar with regard to biodiversity or other areas, it seems to be a way to get both the parent Departments and the agencies into the room to be able to agree a firm path forward. That works very well, and we are delighted to be part of that process. There are individual structures underneath that which function as well down to a technical level, and when you come to an issue, you at least then have the technical people from different agencies and Government Departments agreeing the way forward. That is a good example.

There are specific things that could be done with regard to barriers. Ownership is difficult. To find ownership of river beds and soil is a difficult thing. It becomes more difficult if you cannot find it. Then you have nobody to chase and you are left in limbo. Some legislation is needed where if someone does not come forward with ownership of this particular barrier, the State is going to absorb it and we are going to deal with it. That is one that we come across, and we come across it not just with regard to barriers but also with regard to ownership of the bed and soil of the river, or ownership of the fishing rights. There is a whole area there that could help.