Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the failure of some local beaches to meet EU bathing water standards as highlighted in the Environmental Protection Agency's bathing water quality in Ireland report 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16449/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's bathing waters were of a high standard during the 2004 bathing season and remain consistently near the top of the EU bathing water quality league table, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's annual report, The Quality of Bathing Water in Ireland 2004. The report indicates that 98% of bathing areas complied with mandatory EU values while 88% complied with the stricter guide values specified in the directive. Where bathing waters do not comply with the specified standards, local authorities are required to take the necessary measures to ensure compliance with the standards as prescribed in relation to designated bathing waters by the Quality of Bathing Waters Regulations 1992.

My Department is promoting a major investment programme by local authorities to upgrade sewerage networks and wastewater treatment facilities, particularly where such facilities are required to meet EU standards. Significant progress has been made in recent years in meeting our targets under the EU urban wastewater directive and the main impact of this investment will be on estuarine and coastal areas.

As part of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, my Department is promoting and funding, at regional level, the establishment by local authorities of inter-authority projects to develop river basin monitoring and management systems and to provide the bulk of the baseline data required for implementation of the directive and for development of river basin management plans. Five such projects have commenced in regard to the south-eastern region, the Shannon river basin, the eastern region, the western region and the south-western region. A further project, the North-South Shared Aquatic Resource, NS-SHARE, project commenced in August 2004 and addresses water quality management in cross-Border river basins which includes the Neagh Bann international river basin district and the north western international river basin district.

The river basin management projects will cover all inland surface waters and groundwaters as well as estuaries and coastal waters out to a distance of one nautical mile. These projects will identify all significant impacts on water quality and quantity, set quality objectives and identify and put in place the necessary monitoring and management measures to achieve those objectives. These projects should lead to improved water quality in coastal areas which, in turn, will have a significant positive effect on the quality of bathing water in those areas.