Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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66. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will meet with the Lough Neagh stakeholders group to discuss the current ecological crisis impacting on the lake, and by extension to the sections of the wider river basin management area that fall within the counties under his jurisdiction. [53751/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the very challenging situation in relation to managing and reversing the poor water quality witnessed in Lough Neagh. Responsibility for the management of environmental pressures in the catchment area of Lough Neagh lies primarily with the authorities in Northern Ireland. Monaghan County Council, with the support of the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) shared service, is the lead environmental authority in relation to catchment management in the small area (374 km2 or just over 6% out of a total area of 5,787km2 for the entire Lough Neagh catchment) of the Blackwater catchment that flows into the Bann catchment. This area of the catchment contains a mix of urban, agricultural, and forestry land, all of which can contribute to the problem of blue-green algae blooms.

The level of cooperation between authorities north and south has been high historically and we wish to continue this cooperation. Officials from my Department are engaging with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs through the reconstituted North / South Water Quality Coordination Group, which will meet on a regular basis to discuss cross-border water quality matters. My Department is available to coordinate assistance from relevant authorities in the Blackwater sub-catchment which lies within the Republic of Ireland, or other relevant technical knowledge and experience, if the authorities in Northern Ireland consider it helpful.