Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

Having spoken on this Bill on Report Stage and noted the solid contributions on Committee Stage and the concerned speeches on Second Stage it is good that the Bill, in its limited sense, is being passed. From its introduction until this evening it has been improved by contributions made and will assist, in a narrow sense, better water management.

I repeat my urgent message on the wider issues discussed on Report Stage. Whatever Minister has responsibility for these matters must return to the assumptions that guided the defeat of so much on Report Stage. I refer not only to the issue of right, which was decided against us, but particularly to matters of intergenerational responsibilities. In so far as this is Fifth Stage I will confine myself to this point. A constitutional debate will eventually take place and a future Dáil will not be able to avoid it. If actions that cannot be reversed take place, by commission or omission, a new jurisprudence is emerging that suggests one has a responsibility to future generations.

It is my belief that Lough Corrib is dying and the necessary actions are not being taken. I also believe that if this term of Government is followed by another in which responsibility is not given to a body that can take action against the major sources of pollution, be they related to irresponsible tree felling, agriculture or local authority action, future generations will read the history of the Corrib as a once clean water body.

It is not that now. I went to Galway in 1961 when the lake and the river were in much better condition than now. I repeat this with no sense of acrimony, only a sense of urgency. Diffuse authority across several agencies, in terms of monitoring and taking action, and across different areas of responsibility, be they in agriculture, fisheries or local authorities, does not serve as a model that can protect something that is important not just to this generation but to future generations.

I am not making a party political point. Often I have gone to public meetings where we began with an expression of concern but the public did not follow it up by supporting the strong measures necessary to protect something that belongs to future generations as much as to the present generation. It is quite hypocritical to affect concern and then to seek escape by pointing a finger at another polluter.

What has happened in Galway means that we cannot go back to the way we were. Our issues in Galway are not simply those of solving an immediate problem, they are matters on which we must take action now if we are to resurrect something that is dying in front of us. Anyone who looks at the aerial photography can see the polluted parts of the lake and the build up at its edges. They can also see what is happening with the Clay River. We are still far from effective action in terms of a legally integrated capacity to impose penalties that will be monitored and will ensure compliance. I say that with no spirit of rancour as we pass legislation that will make a contribution but that is insufficient.

It would be wrong if I did not point to the action that is needed for something that is so terribly important, not just in itself but in terms of its social impact, its history and its symbolic importance to Galway city. No selfish view will suffice, there are many people whose actions have put the lake at risk. Something that transcends these interests is necessary if we are to move out of the perilous position we are in now. I hope the resources will be made available to make this Bill effective within its own parameters but I hope that whatever Minister is responsible in future will quickly introduce mechanisms to address the situation I have described.

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