Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason her Department does not approve a reedbed system as an acceptable means of disposing waste water, under the terms of the REP scheme, due to the fact that such a system facilitates the disposal of all surplus waste water, prevents unnecessary and expensive storage, creates an additional habitat for birds and rare plants in the reedbed itself and reduces the risk of pollution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38176/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In 2003 my Department, together with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, set up a technical working group to determine whether earth-lined stores, out-wintering pads and constructed wetlands, reed beds, should have a place in agricultural practice.

The working group has taken expert advice from a variety of sources and has been preparing detailed specifications and guidance documents for each of these systems. It has already made its recommendations on earth-lined stores but recommendations on the other issues are awaited. It would be inappropriate to allow the use of constructed wetlands in REPS before the technical working group has reported on the system.