Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 974: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures of an interdepartmental nature, and the decisions involving inter-ministerial agreement that have been or will be taken in order to assure the future of Lough Corrib, threatened as it is by activities that fall for control by the Departments responsible for agriculture and food, environment and local government, forestry and fisheries, and tourism. [14175/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Statutory responsibility for protection and improvement of water quality is assigned primarily to local authorities acting under the general supervision of the EPA. Lough Corrib lies within the Western River Basin District as designated under the EU Water Framework Directive and Galway County Council is the coordinating local authority for this District.

A framework for coordination of water management actions by all relevant public authorities within each River Basin District has been established for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. All relevant public authorities, including Government Departments, are participating in these arrangements which will lead to the adoption by 2009 of river basin management plans for each district, incorporating environmental objectives and a programme of measures to achieve those objectives. Work is currently underway on the preparation of an Overview Report for each District to be published in June 2007. The reports will outline the significant water management issues that have been identified for each District and the possible measures to be taken.

Lough Corrib is also a proposed candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) and, as such, all landowners and relevant public authorities have responsibility in relation to its management and conservation. In particular, my Department has been working with the Forestry Service of the Department of Agriculture and Food on measures to protect the fresh water pearl mussel, which species has been identified in the rivers feeding into Lough Corrib.

These is continuing liaison and co-ordination between my Department and other relevant Departments as appropriate in relation to the co-ordination of policies and actions for water management in all areas. For example, the protection and improvement of water quality in the Lough Corrib basin is being significantly strengthened by the implementation of the European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations which came into effect in 2006 and give statutory support to the national Nitrates Action Programme. These Regulations were developed in close consultation with the Department of Agriculture and Food, and Teagasc, and are supported by an enhanced package of financial supports for farmers and cross-compliance systems operated by that Department.