asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is aware of the heavy pollution of the Erne Estuary, County Donegal; and if he will do everything possible to have the causes of pollution abated.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Estuary Pollution.
12.
I am advised that there is no serious pollution in the Erne estuary at present. As the Deputy is aware the prevention and control of pollution of our fishery waters engages the constant attention of my Department.
I would be loath to invite the Parliamentary Secretary to come to see for himself just what pollution there is in the area at the present time and that has been continuing for a considerable time regardless of what reports he has got. Therefore I would ask him to make his further investigations much more thorough and to keep in mind that it need not necessarily be only pollution caused by private industrial concerns but that he should direct his attention particularly to the responsibility of the local authority, Donegal County Council, in that area for being the cause of the greater part of the pollution of the river.
On receipt of the Deputy's question we deemed it advisable to contact the board of conservators as the most appropriate of the Erne estuary and we were told that there was no such problem. I thought Ballyshannon Board of Conservators was the most appropriate body to approach. The only other item I have here is that there is an occasional small discharge of sawdust into the river from a Ballyshannon sawmill but this does not contaminate the estuary or affect the fishery there. The information from the Ballyshannon Board of Conservators is that there is no problem as far as pollution is concerned. If I have evidence from the Deputy that this report is not factual I will have a look at it again.
Could I ask the Parliamentary Secretary if he might not consider that my information also would have come from members of the same board, and in view of that would he go after this and even privately in his own domain have investigations made, because the pollution is bad?
There is conflict of information. The Deputy feels there is pollution and the board's views are otherwise.
And certain board members, is what I am saying.