Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions No. 1 to 11, inclusive, together.

The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government and commits to the establishment of a reformed structure of Cabinet committees. The Government followed through on that commitment, part of which was the establishment of the Cabinet committee on water quality to co-ordinate water quality improvements across all sectors. The membership will comprise the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Defence, the Ministers for Finance, for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Minister for Social Protection and for Rural and Community Development.

Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, data for 2023 shows that Irish water quality, while improving in some areas, is a matter of ongoing concern and requires concerted effort to achieve the improvement that we seek. The Government acknowledges that a more focused effort is required to reach our water quality objectives. Last year, the Government published the water action plan 2024, Ireland’s roadmap to protect and restore our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwaters. The plan aims to have an additional 300 water bodies achieve a status of good by 2027, with targeted measures to improve more than 500 more. It includes a multibillion euro investment in wastewater infrastructure, strengthened action on nitrates and a focus on compliance and enforcement. The community water development fund for 2025 will also provide financial supports to local projects and initiatives.

In addition to the Water Action Plan 2024, last year the Government published Water and Agriculture - a collaborative approach, a plan which sets out a range of measures that address the twin objectives of improving water quality and building a convincing case for the maintenance of Ireland's derogation from certain aspects of the European Union's nitrates directive.

Ireland's water faces a number of pressures, including from agriculture, forestry, land use change and wastewater treatment.

It is intended that the Cabinet committee will provide a focus to drive the improvement in water quality generally, while ensuring efforts are undertaken in partnership with farmers. It will be important to safeguard the economic contribution farmers are making in the areas most affected by the derogation as well to implement workable solutions to lower the agricultural impact on water quality. The Cabinet committee will meet shortly for the first time.

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