Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for providing an opportunity for the Department to give an overview of the current work being undertaken to address the quality of our water. I apologise to him on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, and the senior Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who could not attend this evening, but they and their officials will engage with the Deputy again on this issue.

I welcome the report from the Environmental Protection Agency which highlights one of the serious challenges facing Ireland’s water environment. Our water resources are facing complex pressures and increasing demands from population change and expected further growth in the economy, as well as from a changing climate.

On agricultural nutrients, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is working closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on effective measures to address these issues through the river basin management plan, the nitrates action programme and the CAP strategic plan. Our policy is to ensure we provide the right measure in the right place. As outlined in the river basin management plan for the years 2018 to 2021, and now in the EPA’s report, the pressures on water quality can vary across different catchments, as outlined so well by the Deputy. As a result, it is clear that one-size-fits-all measures are not always fully effective. For example, a free advisory service is now available to farmers in priority areas where the EPA identifies agriculture as a significant pressure on water quality. Where urban wastewater is causing an impact, Irish Water is investing in improved services and infrastructure through its capital investment plan. The Government has also improved targeted financial supports to help bring domestic septic tanks up to standard.

The programme for Government commits Ireland to producing a new, stronger river basin management plan in 2022. The draft plan will be based on three principles that emerged from the Department’s review of the second cycle. First, there is an increased level of ambition. The third cycle plan will need a high level of ambition in response to water quality trends, something the Deputy will welcome and, indeed, he contributed to making sure it was in the programme for Government. Second, on integrated catchment planning, local catchment management plans will be put in place for each of the 46 catchments. This will provide opportunities for greater public participation and engagement of key stakeholders and sectors at a local and regional level. The Deputy is right that many local stakeholders will be happy to engage in different ways and will be content to be part of the solutions. Third, there will be multiple benefits and many of the measures needed to protect and improve water quality can also deliver benefits for biodiversity and climate change.

Ireland’s nitrates action programme is another key instrument in regard to achieving good water quality. It is designed to prevent pollution of surface waters and groundwater from agricultural sources, and to protect and improve water quality. The current regulations run to the end of 2021 and a new nitrates action programme will be published at the beginning of 2022. A second consultation phase on the review of the nitrates action programme will be published in the coming weeks. This review is being led by the nitrates expert group, which includes scientific experts from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc and the Environmental Protection Agency. The nitrates expert group will assess the most up-to-date scientific evidence and advise the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the measures that should be included in the next action programme. The expert group is also engaging in bilateral discussions with interested stakeholder groups as part of the review.

This review of the programme also gives us an opportunity to ensure it contributes to achieving biodiversity and climate action objectives, as well as water quality objectives. Policy coherence is a key component of protecting our environment and these areas cannot be successfully tackled in isolation.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is preparing Ireland’s CAP strategic plan, which will also make an important contribution to protecting and restoring water quality.

Across all these areas - the revision of the river basin management plan, the nitrates action programme and CAP – the Department is working closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure we see significant improvement in water quality in the years ahead.

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