James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me time to discuss the important matter of the River Shannon basin district. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government needs to update this House on when he will implement and fund the river basin management plan for the River Shannon international river basin district.

Signing off on any plan is the easy part. For this Government, as we know to our cost, implementation and funding are the hard parts and open to an extended timeframe. In light of the severe weather conditions experienced this winter, any delay in implementing and funding this plan will be detrimental to the management of our waterways. When the Minister signed off on the river basin management plan for the River Shannon basin district last October, he had no idea of the flooding that was to result from the unprecedented weather conditions, and which has destroyed our waterways, particularly in the midlands.

The European Union water framework directive, which was adopted in 2000, requires all governments to manage their rivers, canals, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater, protected areas, estuaries and coastal waters. A good status for these waterways must be reached by 2015. In a written reply to a parliamentary question I tabled on this matter, the Minister stated that plans for the Shannon international river basin district would be completed in the coming months. That is an extremely flexible timescale. Could he perhaps pin that down somewhat this evening and tell this House when exactly the plan will be finalised?

Given the lack of input by the Government to the alleviation of the flooding in the midlands, it will be another case of an EU directive deadline not being met. The Shannon is the lifeblood of the midlands, but unless properly managed under the control of one authority, it could become a liability, with a reoccurrence of the devastation caused by the flooding, which destroyed housing, land and silage and led to a loss of income for already hard hit farmers, businesses and householders.

The draft river plan is interestingly entitled "Water Matters", which could be interpreted in a couple of ways. We are particularly aware of the meaning in the midlands, as water is essential to us in so many ways, from its management to its tourism value. However, is the Minister so aware? He has made no real effort at any stage to address the problems of the midlands since this winter's flooding, especially when compared to the focus on Cork and the south.

When the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, of which I am a member, announced plans to visit Cork to assess the flood damage, I refused to go until similar plans were made for the midlands. This problem will be somewhat rectified next week, when the committee will asses the damage to the midlands region with presentations from the county managers of Longford, Westmeath, Galway, Limerick and Roscommon. Stakeholders will be represented such as the Office of Public Works, Waterways Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Central Fisheries Board, the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board, the Electricity Supply Board, Bord na Móna, the Irish Farmers Association and the Heritage Council.

This brings me to another matter which I have highlighted on many occasions in this House, and will continue to do so until it is resolved, namely, the setting up of a Shannon authority to bring the Shannon stakeholders together under one umbrella. I hope to bring a Private Members' Bill on a Shannon authority before the House to highlight the need for such a body. It will propose that a Shannon authority be set up by statute which would have control over river management and development in the Shannon catchment and Shannon navigation areas, from the source of the river to the Shannon Estuary at Limerick. This is essential to control flooding maintenance works, to develop navigation tourism, to produce electric power and to improve farming and forest practices and public health. It is no longer possible for diverse interests to operate in isolation if the problems of the longest waterway in Ireland are to be solved. I would welcome a positive response on the matter this evening.

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue tonight.

The River Shannon basin management plan is currently being finalised and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government expects that it will be adopted by the relevant local authorities in the coming months. Significant funding has been provided by the Department over the past number of years to support the development of this plan.

The making of a river basin management plan is a function reserved to local authorities. In December 2008, local authorities published draft river basin management plans, including a draft plan for the River Shannon basin district. These draft plans were open to public consultation for a period of six months up to June 2009, and over 300 submissions from interested parties were received. The plans will be adopted by the relevant local authorities in the coming months.

The transposition of the water framework directive in 2003 saw the establishment of eight river basin districts on the island of Ireland, including the River Shannon basin district. A river basin district project office, funded by the Department, was established in each of the seven districts in the State to co-ordinate the making of river basin management plans with the aim of protecting and improving the water environment within the catchment. Exchequer funding in excess of €8 million has been provided since 2003 to the River Shannon basin district. This funding has supported extensive research work and the operation of the river basin district office for the catchment.

The river basin management planning process has provided a mechanism through which local authorities, the EPA, different Departments and other stakeholders can co-ordinate their actions to achieve the best possible environmental outcomes. The plans will be co-ordinated with other relevant plans, including flood risk management plans to be prepared by the OPW, as part of the implementation of the floods directive.

The process is also being supported by a national advisory committee, which was established in 2009 to co-ordinate work on the finalisation of plans and with a view to overseeing their subsequent implementation. The committee is chaired by the Department and its membership is drawn from the local authorities - the County and City Managers Association - the EPA and key Government Departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The Shannon River basin management plan, in common with all such plans, will set out the current status of waters in that district, the environmental objectives which it is aimed to achieve and the measures which will be required in order to achieve those objectives. The programmes of measures must be operational by the end of 2012. The plan will cover the period to 2015, with further plans to cover the subsequent periods to 2021 and 2027. The plan will aim to improve waters which are currently classified as less than good status and will aim to preserve the quality of waters which are classified as good or high status.