Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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414. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to outline the current legislation and statutory instruments by which groundwater is accessed for commercial bottled water production; if the abstraction of this natural resource is measured and monitored by his Department or local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19959/17]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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415. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to set out the estimated amount of groundwater that is abstracted for commercial bottled water production for each year since 2000; the amounts earned by local authorities for such water abstraction during the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19960/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 414 and 415 together.

Currently, the abstraction of groundwater does not generally require authorisation and groundwater abstracted for bottled water production is not monitored by local authorities or by my Department to determine its quality or to control abstraction volumes. The European Union (Natural Mineral Waters, Spring Waters and other Waters in Bottles or Containers) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 282 of 2016) places a responsibility on the producers of bottled water to ensure the source is protected and sets the quality and the treatment standards for the final product. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is the competent authority for enforcement of these Regulations.

The EPA has compiled a database of known water abstractions as part of the development of the draft River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2018-2021. The database identifies twenty one bottled water plants across Ireland with production volumes ranging between 106 cubic meters per day at the largest plant to just 41 litres per day at the smallest plant. However, these amounts relate to the volume of the final product produced and do not take into account any water abstracted which might be used as part of the production process.

I have indicated my intention in the draft River Basin Management Plan which was published in February this year to bring forward legislative proposals to establish a comprehensive and maintained register of water abstractions greater than 25 cubic meters per day, and also to consult on a proportionate and risk-based framework for the regulation of water abstractions to ensure the continued sustainable use of our water resources. The draft River Basin Management Plan is currently undergoing public consultation which remains open until 31 August 2017. The draft plan is available on my Department's website at the following link: .