Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 23: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the trend highlighted in the Environmental Protection Agency's third National Implementation Report on the Phosphorus Regulations, which shows that there was a marked decline in the 2001-2003 period in the number and percentage of river stations falling into the Q5 category on the biological water quality scale the Q-index; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this is part of a continuing decline; and if he intends to provide direction and resources to local authorities to identify and rectify the causes of this decline as such action has been identified in the report as a matter of urgency. [16464/06]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 45: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he intends to provide resources and direction for local authorities to carry out the numerous recommendations set out in the Environmental Protection Agency's third National Implementation Report on the Phosphorus Regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16465/06]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 109: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the analysis contained in the recent EPA report on water quality that agriculture is a more significant contributor to river and lake pollution than sources such as local authorities; and if he has satisfied herself with the method of analysis and measurement used to identify causes of pollution. [12362/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 23, 45 and 109 together.

The Government is committed to tackling water pollution from all sources. The Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1977 (Water Quality Standards for Phosphorus) Regulations 1998 provide for specified improvements in water quality conditions in rivers and lakes based on phosphorus concentrations or related water quality classifications. The Regulations require that local authorities and the EPA take all such steps as may be appropriate in the discharge of their functions to secure compliance with the specified water quality standards.

The Phosphorus Regulations National Implementation Report 2005 was published by the EPA on 22 March 2006. This is the third such report. It identifies a general improvement in levels of compliance with phosphorous water quality standards. These levels have increased by 3.4% since the mid-1990s to the current 63.4% compliance rate nationally. However, the report identifies a continuing decline in the number and percentage of river stations of the highest biological water quality and this aspect is of particular concern. The loss of such waters is a threat to biodiversity, especially to such sensitive species as the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, which is protected under Irish and EU law. This aspect emphasises the need for strengthened measures to protect quality.

A comprehensive range of measures is being pursued by my Department, the EPA, local authorities and other agencies to protect and improve water quality in the context of implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, the Nitrates Directive and related EU legislation. Agriculture remains the most significant source of nutrient pollution of waters, representing some 73% of all phosphorus and 82% of all nitrates inputs 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 to agricultural practices.

With regard to local authority services some €2bn has been invested under my Department's Water Services Investment Programme on the provision of new and upgraded wastewater infrastructure since 2000. This 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,

∙a reduction of 45,000 tonnes per annum (123,000 kilograms 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.

I am providing some €875m to local authorities in 2006 through general purpose grants from the Local Government Fund. This represents an increase of 7% over the level provided in 2005 and I am satisfied that this funding, together with the income available to local authorities from other sources, will enable them to provide a satisfactory level of services. It is, of course, a matter for each local authority to prioritise its expenditure within the resources available to it and to operate its services as efficiently and effectively as possible.

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 over the coming years.