Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 575: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the analysis contained in the recent Environmental Protection Agency report on water quality, which found that agriculture is a more significant contributor to river and lake pollution than services such as those provided by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13261-06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Phosphorus Regulations National Implementation Report 2005 was published by the EPA on 22 March 2006. The Government is committed to tackling water pollution from all sources, and the report identifies a general improvement in compliance levels with the regulations, which has increased by 3.4% since the mid-1990s, to the current 63.4% compliance rate nationally.

The improvements in recent years can be attributed to several factors, including some reduction in agricultural inputs owing to improved farm practices and improved investment in wastewater infrastructure under my Department's water services investment proposal. However, agriculture remains the most significant source of nutrient pollution of waters, representing some 73% of all phosphorus and 82% of all nitrates input to waters; there remains the need to tackle agricultural source pollution on a broad, systematic basis. The European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters) Regulations 2005, which give legal effect to Ireland's nitrates action programme, came into effect generally on 1 February 2006. The regulations apply to all farms. Progress will be monitored on an ongoing basis by reference to water quality and agricultural practices.

With regard to local authority services, some €2 billion has been invested under my Department's water services investment programme on the provision of new and upgraded wastewater infrastructure since 2000. That has made a significant contribution to the protection and improvement of Ireland's water quality and has resulted in provision of secondary wastewater treatment capacity for a population equivalent of 3 million, seven times more than under the previous national development plan; an increase from 25% to 90% in Ireland's compliance with the treatment standards required under the EU urban wastewater treatment directive; and a reduction of 45,000 tonnes per annum, or 123,000 kg per day, in the volume of polluting discharges to river, lake and sea waters.

Where new municipal wastewater infrastructure is required to resolve identified pollution problems, proposals by local authorities are given a high priority under my Department's water services investment programme.

Overall, I am confident that we are tackling the issue of water quality on a broad front and that we will see significant improvements in water quality in the coming years.