Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I now invite the Minister to deal with Question No. 23 in the name of Deputy Joanna Tuffy.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 23: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he has taken in response to the fall in the number of beaches, bathing areas and marinas with blue flag status from 83 in 2007 to 77 in 2009; if the need for good quality bathing water should be a priority of his Department in view of the fact that it is essential for tourism and public health and safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25335/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Achieving and maintaining high quality bathing water at designated bathing water sites is a priority for my Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the relevant local authorities, given the important role that our beaches play in attracting tourists and providing recreational opportunities for local people in a safe and clean environment.

The EPA's report on the quality of bathing water in Ireland 2008 noted that the overall quality of bathing water remains high. In areas where bathing waters fail to meet the EU mandatory standards, the EPA actively follows up on these cases and takes the necessary enforcement actions.

The quality of bathing waters at designated bathing water sites is directly affected by the quality of waters flowing into them. I have taken a number of steps to address discharges from municipal and agricultural sources, the two main contributors to water quality problems. In 2007, I introduced the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations which require local authorities to obtain discharge licences from the EPA for wastewater treatment plants. These licences impose emission limits on the discharges, compliance with which is overseen by the EPA. In addition, in March 2009, I revised the nitrates regulations in order to provide for better farmyard management and to strengthen the enforcement provisions of the regulations.

Since 2000, a total of €2.5 billion has been invested in wastewater treatment and collection systems under my Department's water services investment programme. Many of the new schemes provided were in coastal locations and had a direct, positive benefit on water quality in these areas. The Government commitment to the ongoing improvement of water quality is evidenced in the €500 million allocated to the water services investment programme this year. The programme will fund works at a number of the sites where blue flags have been lost. Work is also well advanced on the development of river basin management plans.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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The problem with the news about the blue flag beaches is that this year we are going backwards. As I outlined in my question, we went from having 83 blue flags in 2007 to 77 in 2009. As the Minister said, clean beaches are very important for our tourism industry. We can do without such bad news at this time. Not only tourists but Irish families go to beaches at this time of year. This is very important for our economy because there is a significant spin-off in the use of local services, shops and cafes at beaches. This news will not help us at a time when we must do everything we can to stimulate our economy, particularly the economies of coastal areas at this time of year.

I have another question regarding a matter that emerged at the same time, namely, uncollected rubbish at beaches after the June bank holiday weekend. That was further bad news about our beaches. Tourists come to Ireland and many Irish people stay here because of the perception that the country has a good and clean environment, with clean and safe beaches.

This must be given priority. I appreciate what the Minister said about wastewater treatment but there is an element of remoteness in his reply. I want to think that as Minister, Deputy Gormley will play a hands-on role in ensuring we win back blue flags for the beaches that lost them. What kind of monitoring will he do? It is not enough to say, for example, that he is setting aside €500 million and the EPA will do this or that. Will he check on this matter during the year so that next year we might gain more blue flags, winning back the ones we lost without losing any others?

Can we ensure that our beaches are cleaned up by the councils and that they have the necessary staff to do this?

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I entirely agree with the Deputy about the tourism benefits of having pristine beaches all over the country. It enhances the quality of life of citizens in this city to have magnificent beaches on our doorstep. It must be said, and the EPA made clear in its report, that there was a significant problem with rainfall when the monitoring was being done last year which accounted for the bad readings. That is inevitable when there are unprecedented volumes of rainfall. Run-off, which comes not only from rivers and riverine inputs but also from elsewhere, leads to bad water quality. It is as simple as that. Those are the inevitable consequences of heavy rainfall. Consider the flash floods in County Donegal yesterday. Donegal has fantastic beaches but if one were to take readings around the area after such heavy rainfall one would find there was a deterioration in the bathing water quality.

I hope we will have a good summer this year, that there will be better readings and that we can regain the blue flags. It must be stated, because I do not believe this was made clear, that there were a number of gains in the matter of blue flags. In 2009, for example, Clogher Head and Greystones gained blue flags and in 2008 Dollymount, Culduff and Morriscastle gained blue flags which they held in 2009.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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We are out of time. If the Deputy wishes to comment, she must be very brief.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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The Minister mentioned rainfall. Apart from capital investment, are there steps that can be taken in the short term to deal with the matters which affect the quality of bathing water? Can anything be done to ensure that each year we can raise the bar?

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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If the Deputy is a swimmer, she will know that it is very difficult to deal with rainfall. I go to Seapoint and the Forty Foot but if one is out there after heavy rainfall the water is brown. It is as simple as that and very difficult to treat. I was talking to one of the engineers on Dublin City Council about this. If one goes to any of the Caribbean islands where there are no rivers one sees crystal clear water, but where there are rivers with run-off there will be difficulties such as turbidity and deterioration.

I cannot predict the weather for the summer but I hope that if we have a good August we will have good readings for our water. I am hopeful about that.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Did the Minister receive a note from the tourism board in the Caribbean?