Results 9,341-9,360 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: I will ask the witnesses from the EPA to answer first.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Could Ms Gurrie continue that last piece?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: The witnesses from SWAN might be able to answer Deputy Ó Broin's questions based on other questions that come as well or we can return to answers to those questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Does that answer the Deputy's question? She has more time for questions if she wants it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Senator Boyhan's time is up and it is now my time slot in which to ask questions. In respect of the water framework directive, Mr. Kenny said that all abstractions should be registered above a de minimisthreshold. Please suggest a de minimisthreshold for Ireland. We had research carried out that compared a number of other European jurisdictions and their thresholds for registration or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Next is the EPA. As referenced by other members, if one were to move to register 10 cu. m abstractions rather than 25 cu. m or greater, what would be the administrative burden? With the EPA's current resources would it be practical to do so? The EPA's submission suggests that 95% of abstractions are covered. Does that mean only 5% of current abstractions range between 10 cu. m and 25 cu. m?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: I just wish to clarify that question. The submission states that 1,583 abstractions have been registered and this is estimated to account for approximately 95% of all water abstracted. Does that figure suggest that the other 5% is somewhere below that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: It does to an extent, but I am out of time. I call Deputy Cian O'Callaghan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Because of who is in attendance my list is changing. I call Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, followed by Senator Moynihan and then back to Deputy Gould.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Does the Senator wish to direct any of those questions to the SWAN representatives?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Yes, we have time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: The EPA's task is to protect and improve the environment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: I would like to return to the 6% figure, where the EPA said that 6% of water courses are under pressure from water abstractions. If water is abstracted from a water body the volume of water is potentially reduced or at times of low flow 25 cu. m or more may have a greater impact than at times of higher flow. All water that gets abstracted from whatever source, ends up somewhere else, which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Gurrie. On the registration process can she tell us what exactly is involved in the process for an abstractor? How complex and onerous is it to register? As I understand it the heads abstraction is not metered but only done on estimate. A person may be abstracting 27 cu. m but that may be estimated as only 24 cu. m. What is involved in the registration process, both from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: Okay. On the abstractions themselves, how difficult would it be for all of them to be metered and recorded? How onerous would that be for an abstractor, if the witnesses can answer that? I know there are many different forms of extractor-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: -----and if it is a business or industry or if it is a temporary one it may be more difficult. That being said, how difficult is it to fit a meter so the EPA could at some point, randomly or selectively, look at the abstraction rates?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: My question for SWAN is on the measuring of abstractions, would it be aware where the 10 m. threshold is in Northern Ireland or Scotland or Wales? Do they meter abstractions to measure it or is that done by abstractions as well? Does anybody have that information?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: One last question on the water framework directive and that letter from October that we are not fulfilling this aspect of it. What other aspects of the directive are we not currently fulfilling?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2020)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms O'Brien. Just to summarise, what I am saying is that this Bill is aimed at registering, monitoring and licensing of water abstractions. The data we have has up to this point been held by local authorities and was a bit vague or incomplete. We are now on threshold limits and I think we are all agreed that we should be licensing, monitoring and measuring the impacts of all these....