Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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969. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department is preparing a review of the implementation of the Shellfish Waters Directive 2006/113/EC to send to the European Commission as is required on a periodical basis under the Directive; and if he intends to add to the list of designated shellfish waters to which the Shellfish Waters Regulations (SI No. 268 of 2006) would apply. [38740/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Directive 2006/113/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the quality required of shellfish waters is a codified version of Directives 79/923/EEC and 91/692/EEC. In accordance with the provisions of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EEC), it is due to be repealed in December 2013 when designated shellfish waters will become protected areas within the meaning of the Water Framework Directive.

Reporting obligations under the Shellfish Waters Directive have been subsumed into the reporting framework for the Water Framework Directive. An interim report describing progress in the implementation of measures in the first-cycle river basin management plans was submitted to the European Commission in February 2013 in accordance with Article 15 of the Water Framework Directive.

The European Communities (Quality of Shellfish Waters) Regulations 2006 designated 14 shellfish water areas but these were amended twice in 2009 when a further 50 shellfish waters were designated . Pollution Reduction Programmes are in place for all 64 designated waters and these were reviewed and updated in 2012.

There are no plans to add to the list of designated shellfish waters at this time.