Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)

Is é seo an chéad seans dom labhairt san áit seo agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghlacadh leis na daoine ó dháilcheantar Ghaillimh Thiar maidir leis an tacaíocht a fuair mé san olltoghchán. Glacaim buíochas leis an iar-Theachta Dála Fhine Gael don dáilcheantar, Padraic McCormack, tar éis 21 bliain go leith ag obair ar son mhuintir iarthar na Gaillimhe. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil sé fíor-bhródúil go bhfuil beirt Teachta Dála nua as Fine Gael sa dáilcheantar anois.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for facilitating the raising of this issue on the Adjournment. As a fellow County Galway man, I congratulate him on his election as Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Lough Corrib is the second largest lake on this island and the largest within the State. It is predominantly within the Connemara electoral area which elected me to Galway County Council on two occasions. It is a prized asset within my county and within this country. The Galway county development plan in respect of Lough Corrib notes:

It is possibly the single most significant natural asset in the County. Its waters serve as a domestic supply for half the population of the County. It is one of the most important wild fisheries in Europe, making it a prime tourist asset and an important habitat. As the second largest inland waterbody on the island with free and frequent access to its largely unspoilt shoreline it is a vast leisure area for locals and visitors.

Lough Corrib, however, has faced and is facing huge problems and challenges. The threats of pollution from sewerage schemes, septic tanks, nitrate and phosphate enrichment are real, although improvements have been made to address these threats during the past number of years. Zebra mussel has also made an unwelcome appearance. Another very serious issue is the rapid encroachment of African pond weed or Lagarosiphon major. The origin of this invasion was likely to have come from a domestic water pond where these plants are part of ornamental gardens. Whatever the origin, the consequences are very serious. The weed has spread across many of the Lough Corrib's bays since first identified in 2005. Its spread has had a number of consequences for navigation, fishing and water quality. The weed poses a threat to navigation channels because it can get entangled in equipment on boats, etc., and it poses a threat to the supply of clean drinking water. All of Galway city receives its drinking water from Lough Corrib. The weed also increases the threat of flooding.

The Central Fisheries Board launched a campaign after the identification of this weed as a problem and over the years made presentations to Lough Corrib Navigation Trustees and Galway County Council, both bodies of which I was a member, and to Galway City Council. Funding was provided initially by the State. A boat to allow for the weed cutting was purchased in 2008 by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Galway County Council then came on board with funding and last year a commitment was also made by Galway City Council in its 2011 budget. Today, Inland Fisheries Ireland has commitments from Galway County Council and the city council in their 2011 budgets for the control of this weed as well as commitments from the Office of Public Works and the Heritage Council. This commitment to funding is recognition of the seriousness of the situation on Lough Corrib.

An innovative method of dealing with this weed has involved competent individuals diving to the bottom of the lake, cutting the weed, bringing it to the lake surface, hauling the weed onto a boat and bringing it ashore for disposal. A mat is then placed over the lake bed from where the weed has been removed to prevent regrowth of the weed, but it allows the natural flora of the lake to regrow. This is very technical and labour intensive work. Three local individuals with expertise and, as locals, a love for the lake saw their contracts end on 31 December.

I note previous responses from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government or the Department with responsibility for natural resources that the reason behind the refusal to allow Inland Fisheries Ireland issue new contracts is the public service recruitment ban. I understand our commitment to the IMF-EU deal and the need to impose restrictions on public sector and State body worker numbers to satisfy this deal. In this instance, however, I am not seeking additional moneys for new staff to be employed but moneys budgeted by Galway's local authorities, the Office of Public Works and the Heritage Council to be spent and to allow local individuals with the expertise to continue the vital job they have being doing for the sake of Lough Corrib.

I understand the Minister's Department is tied by the Department of Finance's insistence on the moratorium, but I ask the Minister of State if the Department accepts the necessity for this work to be completed and if he can persuade the Department of Finance to allow contracts be issued where the moneys are already sanctioned by the bodies listed. Three young men are receiving social welfare assistance when instead they could be working, being paid by moneys already sanctioned by the listed authorities and bodies and doing a vital job cutting and removing African pond weed from Lough Corrib. This whole story reeks of red tape and bureaucracy and makes no sense. I appeal to the Minister of State to liaise with the Minister for Finance to allow Inland Fisheries Ireland issue new contracts in order that these staff can continue with these necessary works.

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