Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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361. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the examination by the Bathing Water Expert Group into increasing the frequency of bathing water monitoring; if the expert group has examined the possibility of daily bathing water monitoring in areas in which recurrent sewage and pollution issues have been recorded, such as Clifden, County Galway; his plans to extend the bathing water season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46542/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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As a result of the increase in people swimming and beach users generally, I have tasked the Bathing Water Expert Group with examining the different measures that could be employed to improve protection of bather’s health outside of the statutory bathing season, within the context of the current review by the European Commission of the Bathing Water Directive. The Bathing Water Expert Group is currently developing terms of reference for an assessment of the different options to ensure all relevant measures are considered.

The EPA as the environmental regulator makes sure that local authorities carry out their functions under the Bathing Water Regulations to monitor bathing waters, to warn of pollution events and to take action where there are water quality issues. The EPA share the latest information provided by local authorities with the public through www.beaches.ie. I would encourage all bathers to use the information on this dedicated website before going swimming, and to always follow the advice of the HSE and Department of Health in relation to social distancing protocols when at the beach.

The Bathing Water Regulations 2008 (as amended), transpose the requirements of the 2006 Bathing Water Directive (BWD) into national legislation. These regulations set the framework for the effective management of bathing waters around the country. The regulations also aim to improve health protection for bathers and ensure adequate information is disseminated in a timely manner during the bathing season.

Currently in Ireland there are almost 150 designated bathing waters identified by local authorities with the help of public consultation. The water quality in these areas is monitored during the bathing season. The regulations define the bathing season to mean the period from 1st June to 15th September in any calendar year and also set out the sampling and monitoring requirements for all designated bathing waters.

The bathing water report for 2020, published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states that 96% of bathing waters met or exceeded the minimum required standard. This is up from 95% in 2019 and improvements in bathing water quality are welcome and necessary.