Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The overall quality of Ireland's bathing water remains good and 132 out of 142 beaches meet strict EU standards. Seven bathing waters are at poor status, which compares well with other northern European states. Having said that, it is still not good enough and we need to continue to improve. We need a plan for each of the areas where the water quality is not as good as it needs to be and we need the necessary investment to bring that about. We also need to understand in detail the reasons for the issues at present.

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