Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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311. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the programmes that are in place to protect rivers and lakes on a cross-Border basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44377/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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There are a number of measures and programmes in place to manage and protect cross-border rivers and lakes. Responsibility for protection of freshwater fish and fisheries habitat along the border region falls primarily to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA), the Loughs Agency (in relation to the protection and management of Lough Foyle and Carlingford catchments) and Waterways Ireland (WI).

The overarching protection and restoration of rivers and lakes on the island of Ireland is underpinned by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Co-ordination and integration of delivery of WFD targets in the border area is captured under the Border Regional Operational Committee (BROC), which meets on a quarterly basis to disseminate and share information, discuss funding and project delivery.

The Loughs Agency, one of six North-South Bodies established under the British Irish Agreement Act 1999, has responsibility for the promotion and development of Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough. It operates a range of fishery and environmental monitoring programmes and undertakes conservation works to protect the cross-border Foyle and Carlingford catchments.

There is a long-standing Cross-border Fisheries Management Liaison Committee comprising IFI, DAERA, Agri-Fish & Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and Electricity Supply Board (ESB) which meet regularly to discuss fisheries management, protection, fish passage and applied research in relation to both the River Erne and Lough Melvin/River Drowse catchments.

There is also ongoing liaison, co-operation and intelligence sharing by the relevant authorities regarding fisheries and environmental protection of rivers and lakes on a cross-border basis. Confidential 24-hour hotline services are provided by a number of agencies north and south of the border to facilitate and promote early detection and response to reports of pollution or fisheries protection concerns.

Loughs Agency fishery protection staff work collaboratively with an Garda Síochána and the PSNI on joint fishery protection patrols and carry out joint initiatives to address illegal fishing activity within the cross-border catchments of Foyle and Carlingford. IFI also work very closely with the Loughs Agency, particularly in the areas of data sharing and enforcement, as well as other bodies such as the AFBI, on WFD surveys and reporting on cross-border waterbodies.

IFI is a member of the Northwest Region Multi-Agency Forum for Environment and Wildlife Crime which meet quarterly to share information and optimise protection strategies in relation to illegal hunting, poaching and illicit movement of fish or other protected wildlife.

Collaboration is also demonstrated through participation in a number of cross-border EU-funded projects, including a number of PEACEPLUS and INTERREG programmes.