Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Minor works are no good here. I ask the Minister of State to take the six suggestions I have put to him back to the Minister and to feed them into the meetings that are going to take place next week.

The Minister of State represents the Green Party and a senior Minister of that party, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is here as well. There is something their colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, can do regarding this issue. Prior to 2015, the turlough flooded to predictable levels in winter and drained in the summer. Peak winter levels varied by no more than 1.5 m between very dry years and very wet years. The flood pattern allowed for the rare plants outlined in the turlough's designation as an SAC to flourish. From the winter of 2015 to the present day, however, the turlough has effectively become a lake with the summer level now at a height equivalent to the extremely high winter level. The current destruction of all plant life cannot be allowed to continue as it calls into question the status of the lake as a protected area. It was the responsibility of the State to ensure the protection of the turlough. Surely, it is now the responsibility of the State to restore it to its natural equilibrium. The other option is to do nothing, which will lead to the total and permanent destruction of the habitat and the turlough, which would surely contravene EU directives on turloughs and SACs. The other alternative is to de-designate the lake area as an SAC because of the failure to maintain the water levels at the turlough's designated levels.

We should examine the option of constructing an overflow pipe. This has been costed at approximately €1.3 million. This is a far more cost-effective option than the destruction of the turlough and the relocation of seven families and farmyards at a total cost in excess of €3 million. I plead with the Minister of State to talk with Deputy Noonan in this regard.

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