Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 1436: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has received the report on phthalate contamination of waters here; if so, the action he will take on foot of the report recommendations; if same will be published in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40203/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Statutory responsibility for the monitoring and management of water quality lies primarily with local authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency and, in relation to marine waters, with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and the Marine Institute.

Phthalates comprise a group of substances which are widely used in the plastics industry and which are of concern due to their potential endocrine-disrupting effects. The Environmental Protection Agency funded a survey in 2003 by Cork Institute of Technology on the occurrence of endocrine-disrupting substances in the Irish aquatic environment. The analysis of the results does not reveal any intersex, that is, the simultaneous presence of male and female tissue, in any of the waterbodies surveyed. A synthesis report will be issued within a few weeks and a full report will be issued later this year. The issue of the report had been scheduled for mid-2005 but delays occurred in its completion.

A comprehensive screening programme began in March 2005 with the aim of establishing the relevance of over 200 dangerous substances, including phthalates, in the context of Irish waters. The programme will run for a period of 18 months and a report is expected in 2007. The programme, which is led by Carlow County Council on behalf of all local authorities, is co-ordinated by the EPA and funded by my Department. It is one of several projects by local authorities and other agencies to support implementation of the water framework directive. The results of the screening programme will inform the process of establishing appropriate chemical standards for Irish waters, and will be a major factor in determining whether further measures will need to be taken to protect our waters from pollution by phthalates. Regard will also be had to the results of reviews being carried out in relevant international fora.