Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if her Department has determined the lessons which should be learned from the reason the European Court of Justice was able to find Ireland in breach of so many different parts of the Nitrates Directive; if so, the lessons which were learned; and the way in which they are being internalised by her Department in the treatment of other EU Directives. [18881/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The implementation of the Nitrates Directive is a matter for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The European Court of Justice delivered a judgment in March 2004 that Ireland was non-compliant with the Nitrates Directive by reason mainly of failing to establish and implement an Action Programme to protect waters against pollution by farming. The establishment of an Action Programme requires (a) the development of a programme of measures to be taken, and (b) the enactment of appropriate legislation to give statutory effect to the programme. The judgement against Ireland is part of a pattern of judgements made by the Court against a number of Member States on this issue. The Action Programme and Regulations introduced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, in consultation with my Department, have been designed to address the issues identified in the European Court judgement against Ireland.