Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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75. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures his Department or organisations and agencies related to his Department are taking with respect to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate and the Environment Report on Lady’s Island Lake; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53529/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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In relation to Lady’s Island Lake, my colleague, Minister of State, Christopher O’Sullivan has met with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Wexford County Council and Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) along with officials from the National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS) & the Water Division within my Department. From this engagement an oversight group for Lady’s Island has been established. This group has met on multiple occasions and is being led and chaired by Wexford County Council. Teagasc also recently joined the group. Minister O'Sullivan has requested that Wexford County Council urgently prepare a specific action plan to deal with the pollution at the lake, which will follow the framework and mechanisms established within the 2024 Water Action Plan.

Lady’s Island Lake is a Priority Area for Action (PAA) under the existing 2024 Water Action Plan and therefore all mechanisms for undertaking scientific and compliance investigations, delivery of advice and implementing regulatory and supplementary measures under the Water Action Plan will be harnessed. This will involve very close engagement between Wexford County Council, LAWPRO, the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory (ASSAP) and the Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) programme.

Funding from my Department has already been provided to support a significant component of the action required through the provision of (i) National Agricultural Inspection Programme (NAIP) inspectors in the local authorities who are responsible for investigating farm compliance with the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Regulations; (ii) free advice and support for farmers under ASSAP, and co-funding is provided by DAFM and my Department for (iii) the implementation of supplementary measures through the Farming for Water EIP. Any potential further funding requirements will be considered on receipt of a business case from Wexford County Council.