Vol. 405 No. 3
70 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will make a statement on the future of the arterial drainage programme in the light of imperatives placed upon the State by (1) the EC, (2) other legislation and (3) conventions to (a) preserve wetlands, (b) wildlife habitats, (c) breeding areas and (d) nature reserves; and if his Department have made or sought to make an input into the putting in place of the environmentally sensitive areas scheme.
In recent years it has been the practice of the Office of Public Works to carry out studies of the effects of arterial drainage on the environment. All future schemes will be subjected to detailed environmental impact assessments which are now mandatory under the Arterial Drainage Acts, 1945 and 1955 (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations, 1990 which give effect to the provisions of Directive 85/337 EC for the assessment of the effects on the environment of certain public and private projects. In the carrying out of environmental impact assessments regard is had to all relevant legislation, EC Directives and conventions.
The Office of Public works have made suggestions to the Department of Agriculture as to areas which might be considered as candidates for inclusion in the pilot environmentally sensitive areas scheme which is the responsibility of that Department.
71 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for Finance if he will outline the Government policy on arterial drainage; the rivers, in order of priority, on which work will be carried out in the next three years; the nature of this work; and the time-scale involved for each element of the work; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The national arterial drainage programme is based on settled priority list of major catchments — over 100,000 acres — and minor catchments — 25,000-100,000 acres. At present construction works are in progress in two major schemes, the Boyle (Priority No. 13) and the Monaghan Blackwater (Priority No. 19) and one minor scheme, the Bonet (Priority No. 8). Works on the Boyle and Blackwater are expected to continue until 1993 while it is hoped to bring the Bonet scheme to a conclusion later this year.
In addition engineering surveys of four further catchments have been undertaken — the Suir (Priority No. 15 Major), Owenmore (Priority No. 16 Major), Mulcair (Priority No. 17 Major), and Dunkellin (Priority No. 10 Minor) — and schemes for these catchments are at various stages of planning. Priority is being accorded to the Owenmore and Mulcair where preliminary designs have been completed and cost benefit analyses and environmental impact assessments are currently being undertaken on both schemes.
It is expected that reports on the Owenmore scheme will be available later this spring and on the Mulcair in 1992. It is not possible to say when schemes for these catchments might commence pending the outcome of the studies referred to.
