Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action his Department is taking to increase the number of blue flag beaches and to improve water quality for visitors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4065/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The blue flag scheme is operated by the foundation for environmental education, an international non-governmental organisation based in Denmark, and is administered in Ireland by An Taisce. A local authority which wishes to apply for a blue flag for a bathing area makes application to An Taisce which provides advice and guidance on the scheme, the criteria on which decisions are based and aspects of beach management which may require improvement in order to secure or retain a blue flag. My Department provides grant aid to An Taisce as a contribution towards the administration expenses of the scheme. A total of 77 blue flags were awarded in 2004 to 73 bathing areas and four marinas, maintaining the high number of blue flags awarded to bathing areas in Ireland in 2003.

To apply for blue flag status, a beach must be a designated bathing area under the quality of bathing waters regulations. There are 131 such bathing areas — 122 seawater and nine freshwater — designated in Ireland. The quality of the bathing water in these areas must comply with the guideline standards laid down in the EU bathing waters directive in the bathing season, 1 June to 31 August, of the year prior to the application for a blue flag. In order to secure a blue flag, a beach must additionally comply with criteria specified by the foundation relating to the facilities available and general management, for example, car parking, toilets, litter control, access for the disabled and environmental information.

The blue flag scheme is mainly directed towards developed, resort beaches which have, in addition to excellent water quality, appropriate infrastructure and services. As a complement to the blue flag scheme, a separate environmental award scheme called the green coast award is now being operated by An Taisce to recognise rural beaches which have excellent water quality and natural unspoilt environment but for which the blue flag criteria are inappropriate. In 2004, there were four green coast awarded beaches in Ireland and 17 beaches are under application for green coast awards in 2005.

The green coast award is funded under the Ireland-Wales INTERREG IIIA Community initiative programme, with additional financial support from my Department, and aims to improve the environment of the Welsh and Irish coasts. The award is largely focused on the establishment of local, community, voluntary coast care groups who adopt and manage stretches of coastline. In Ireland, the award is focused on counties Meath, Dublin, Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford.

My Department has requested a report from An Taisce as to the options and measures which might be pursued for increasing the number of blue flags awarded to designated bathing areas in Ireland. An Taisce has carried out research in this regard on matters such as water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, safety and other services in these areas and expects to report to my Department shortly.

Deficiencies in water quality have frequently been a factor for failure to achieve a blue flag for a beach. I see considerable potential to increase the number of blue flag sites as a result of our greatly increased investment in new and upgraded water treatment plants and the measures to be taken for further implementation of the nitrates directive and the water framework directive.