Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I welcome the fact that the Minister is to investigate the report and obviously, this is something we can come back to at a later stage. The report highlights water pollution and waste as two features that will affect tourism. One is concerned with the number of fish kills that have occurred, the quality of water etc.

As regards the beaches aspect, will the Minister say whether there is a concerted effort to ensure that we have as many blue flag beaches as possible? Is there some mechanism within his Department for checking this because that is one of the highlights of a region, especially for children, where a family has come to Ireland on holiday. It is essential that beaches are top quality.

As regards waste, obviously the Tidy Towns competition has a major input. In the overall context, however, what plans has the Minister or his Department for improving the situation?

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