Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue tonight.

The River Shannon basin management plan is currently being finalised and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government expects that it will be adopted by the relevant local authorities in the coming months. Significant funding has been provided by the Department over the past number of years to support the development of this plan.

The making of a river basin management plan is a function reserved to local authorities. In December 2008, local authorities published draft river basin management plans, including a draft plan for the River Shannon basin district. These draft plans were open to public consultation for a period of six months up to June 2009, and over 300 submissions from interested parties were received. The plans will be adopted by the relevant local authorities in the coming months.

The transposition of the water framework directive in 2003 saw the establishment of eight river basin districts on the island of Ireland, including the River Shannon basin district. A river basin district project office, funded by the Department, was established in each of the seven districts in the State to co-ordinate the making of river basin management plans with the aim of protecting and improving the water environment within the catchment. Exchequer funding in excess of €8 million has been provided since 2003 to the River Shannon basin district. This funding has supported extensive research work and the operation of the river basin district office for the catchment.

The river basin management planning process has provided a mechanism through which local authorities, the EPA, different Departments and other stakeholders can co-ordinate their actions to achieve the best possible environmental outcomes. The plans will be co-ordinated with other relevant plans, including flood risk management plans to be prepared by the OPW, as part of the implementation of the floods directive.

The process is also being supported by a national advisory committee, which was established in 2009 to co-ordinate work on the finalisation of plans and with a view to overseeing their subsequent implementation. The committee is chaired by the Department and its membership is drawn from the local authorities - the County and City Managers Association - the EPA and key Government Departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The Shannon River basin management plan, in common with all such plans, will set out the current status of waters in that district, the environmental objectives which it is aimed to achieve and the measures which will be required in order to achieve those objectives. The programmes of measures must be operational by the end of 2012. The plan will cover the period to 2015, with further plans to cover the subsequent periods to 2021 and 2027. The plan will aim to improve waters which are currently classified as less than good status and will aim to preserve the quality of waters which are classified as good or high status.

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