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Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 1 May 1997

Vol. 151 No. 7

Shannon River Council Bill, 1997: Second Stage (Resumed).

Question again proposed: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this welcome Bill. I have always supported the idea of adopting a co-ordinated approach to activities on the River Shannon. The River Shannon must be looked at in the context of drainage and as a tourism amenity. As a member of a local authority for 17 years, I am aware of the input each local authority has made and of the importance of the River Shannon.

It is important there is a co-ordinated approach to deal with activities on the River Shannon. In recent years local authorities have adopted a co-ordinated approach when dealing with EU funding for town sewerage systems. The improvements which continue to be made in that regard are welcome. Improvements in drainage in Longford town, Ballymahon and Granard show how important it is for all local authorities to adopt a co-ordinated approach to the River Shannon.

From a tourism point of view, it goes without saying that the Shannon is recognised across Europe and elsewhere as an important cruising amenity. The number of cruise boats arriving in places like Lanesborough, Cloodara and Termonbarry, has increased, and such traffic is important to the local economy in these areas. The River Shannon is an important amenity with considerable tourism potential and it also helps to drain surrounding areas. It is not easy to co-ordinate all the aspects of activity because at times there can be conflicts of interest. That is the reason a co-ordinated approach is important. I welcome the Bill.

As has been said by Senator Belton, the proposers of the Bill and other speakers, this is common sense legislation. One may wonder why such legislation has not been introduced before, given what Members have said. The interaction and lack of interaction between local authorities and those who should look after the development of the Shannon has been a revelation to me. The two Senators who brought the Bill to the House deserve our sincere thanks and congratulations. I thank the Leader of the House, the Government and the Minister for accepting the Bill and for providing Government time to debate it.

The River Shannon is the main artery to the centre of the country and has been underutilised for years. One can travel on the River Shannon to Northern Ireland and to Dublin along the canals, on which the Office of Public Works has carried out considerable work in recent years. The River Shannon has been a great source of pleasure to many people. Many Members spend their weekends on the Shannon. Recently I discovered that some Senators have bought boats and like to traverse the river occasionally.

The stretch of water from the mouth of the River Shannon to Limerick is probably underdeveloped in terms of industry. It is, however, utilised by cargo ships travelling to Foynes and Limerick with oil and other necessities. It is hardly necessary to outline the need to protect the River Shannon. Senator O'Kennedy spoke of his younger days spent on the banks of the Shannon with his father and how there was no problem taking water from the river to boil for tea or to drink. That is now changed as there is a vast amount of pollution in the Shannon. This is understandable in a developing country; the use of fertilisers and the development of bogs has resulted in such pollution.

This Bill attempts to resolve the problems of the Shannon. It amazed me to learn that a substantial amount of pumping equipment at the river lies disused and is the subject of disagreement between local authorities. This Bill sets out to encompass all the authorities adjacent to the Shannon and bring them together with State bodies and the Government to resolve the problems of the river. It is wrong that local authorities do not always perform their functions, but perhaps that is as a result of a lack of legislation. Perhaps successive Governments have not performed their functions. With this Bill we can expect major changes in the supervision of the Shannon river over the next few years. It is a pity the main artery to the heart of Ireland was not treated in the past with the respect it deserved. I saw a short film from the Central Fisheries Board called "While Fishes Watch". The idea behind it was that there is life in rivers as long as there are fish in them. If they die, we are next, because we cannot live without clean water. The pollution in the Shannon is considerable.

I support the Bill and I thank and congratulate Senators O'Kennedy and Daly for bringing the Bill before the House. I also thank the Government, the Minister and the Leader of the House for accepting the Bill. I ask that it proceed quickly to Committee and Final Stages. It might be drafted by two great men but they may have overlooked some aspects which require amendment on Committee Stage, which would be acceptable. I ask for sufficient time to be given to complete the passage of the Bill. It is a good one which I recommend to the House.

Listening to the compliments paid to Senators O'Kennedy and Daly reminded me of the Ceann Comhairle's response to the worthy tributes paid to him last week, that he had to kick himself to see if he were still alive. That does not diminish our admiration for anyone, especially in Opposition, who takes the initiative to introduce legislation. Irrespective of whether it is plain or complex, there is a skill in crafting it. The Minister would be the first to admit that he must rely on the expertise of his officials. In praising Senators O'Kennedy and Daly, I am sure they in turn have acknowledged and shown appreciation to all those who helped them, from the parliamentary draftsman's office to the various organisations they referred to in their Second Stage speeches.

I welcome this initiative as someone who lives at the tip of the inverted triangle of Lough Allen, which it is sometimes forgotten is the first lake on the Shannon. I am pleased this Bill has come before the House for discussion and I naturally enthusiastically support its broad thrust. I appreciate one must progress slowly in these areas, especially when something new is created. If and when this authority is set up, I would like to see it progressively adopting more functions of existing statutory bodies. We along the Shannon are plagued by statutory bodies, such as the ESB and the Office of Public Works. The Department of the Environment and local authorities become involved where environmental matters are concerned. The Department of the Marine is also involved. There is an unnecessarily large number of statutory bodies responsible for different aspects of the Shannon and their functions overlap. I suggest we have lost the focus at the centre of this Bill: the development of the river and its hinterland and the improvement of its water quality by the elimination of pollution.

I read recently, and agree with the economist who proposed the theory, that the environment is the most important issue facing us as we approach the new millennium. It is the issue which concentrates the minds of young people more than any other political activity. Young boys and girls who have only been at school for a year are aware of the world around them. It is a credit to our teaching profession that they concentrate at an early stage and follow up at the later stage of education on creating an awareness and an appreciation of the environment. I have young children of five and six years old who, when they come home from school, tell me about going on nature trails and identifying plants and trees. Their paintings and drawings relate to the world around them and not to the latest pop stars.

We as legislators have failed to concentrate our undoubted energies towards improving our environment. We have come late to it. It reminds me of a documentary about the Third World which was shown several years ago and which claimed we were five minutes away from midnight with regard to helping that world. I believe we are five minutes away from midnight with regard to our environment. Unless we do something practical this country, which enjoys a green image, will be overwhelmed.

It would be churlish and irresponsible not to welcome industrial development, improved infrastructure and the subsequent enhancement of people's quality of life. However, if our environment is to be damaged as a result, whither progress? We must find a balance and it is the responsibility of the Government and legislators to frame legislation that will achieve that balance.

This Bill is a genuine and welcome attempt to seek that balance in the Shannon catchment area. It follows initiatives which commenced a number of years ago, particularly in Lough Derg. Senator O'Kennedy referred to one of the bodies involved in that initiative which is still up and running, SOLD — Save Our Lough Derg. I wish to put on record my appreciation of the chairman of that body, Councillor John Sheehy from Ballina, who first came to my attention when he circulated a document outlining a doomsday scenario for the future of Lough Derg. It forecast it eventually becoming a dead lake unless urgent action was taken to improve and revitalise that which had been lost as a result of pollution from a variety of sources.

It was perhaps inevitable given the location of Lough Derg and, to a lesser extent, Lough Ree in the mid-west, that there has been substantial and welcome industrialisation over the past 25 years. That development has created jobs and brought prosperity to the region. However, the price we are paying for industrialisation appears to be too high. If we take urgent action now the price will be acceptable because, if we cannot return lakes such as Lough Derg and Lough Ree to their original pristine condition, we will at least be able to arrest the erosion that has affected the habitats, flora, fauna and fish life in those waters.

According to one report Lough Derg was identified as being heavily polluted while Lough Ree was moderately polluted. The third lake, Lough Allen, is still pollution free. However, recent welcome developments in that area have raised serious questions about the lake's future environmental protection. The reopening of the Lough Allen canal and the Shannon-Erne link have resulted in a huge upsurge of boating traffic in the past three years while an increased number of tourists visit the area to fish and use the lake and the Shannon for other leisure pursuits.

It is an unpalatable fact of life that where there are people there will be pollution. People must be educated not to dump rubbish and pollute. We are one of the few species who foul our own nest with alarming regularity. Every day we can witness the careless disposal of ice cream wrappers, cigarette boxes and take away cartons as they are flung with abandon on to the streets of towns and villages. It happens everywhere. What possesses us to pollute our environment so carelessly and irresponsibly in public when we would not do the same thing in the privacy of our homes? We teach our children not to put their dirty shoes on cushions, not to leave their bedrooms untidy and to dispose of rubbish in proper containers, yet we travel the highways and byways and visit our lakes and rivers and consistently pollute them. It is because of that unacceptable fact that the legislation before us is being debated and, I hope, will be passed.

I would have preferred this Bill to assume a more aggressive role in view of the plethora of State and statutory bodies involved in the Shannon region. Senator O'Kennedy referred to the marvellous history of the Shannon corridor. He spoke of it as a haven of recreation for anglers, boatmen, swimmers, gamesmen, archaelogists, school outings and family picnics along its length of 214 miles. He also referred to the history and culture of Ireland. Many monastic settlements were located there and crannógs have been identified in Lough Allen. It is a rich heritage.

The Shannon Pot is the source of the Shannon. It is located in the Cuilcagh Mountains between the towns of Dowra and Blacklion. There is a signpost halfway between those towns which indicates the way to the Shannon Pot. One can travel there on a good quality road, the result of the good work of a local councillor, Eddie Feeley. However, when one arrives at the Shannon Pot one simply sees a pool of water in the middle of the ground and nothing else. Surely it is not beyond the wit of the Office of Public Works, presumably the statutory body responsible for the site, to make it a little more presentable. More and more visitors are travelling to the source of the Shannon and, as it is so readily accessible, a little more thought might have been put into its presentation. The area could be cleared and information could be provided on information tablets. There might even be a visual presentation on the flora and fauna and the history of the river. However, there is nothing there and the same is true of many locations of interest along the length of the river. A piecemeal approach has been adopted. Presentation is good in some areas and bad in others.

The Shannon River Council should concentrate not only on pollution and the environment but it should also assume a developmental role. Nobody else is doing it in a comprehensive manner. In many cases it is up to local authorities, depending on their resources and whether they have the initiative, to develop areas along the Shannon. In Leitrim the Office of Public Works has the legislative authority to acquire property for development along the Shannon, yet we have been waiting several years for that body to acquire land on two sides of Lough Allen to provide landed jetties for cruiser traffic. There are monastic settlements and areas of great historical interest within walking distance of the proposed jetties.

Lough Allen is seven miles long and three miles wide and if one travels on the lake one cannot get off the boat until one returns to Drumshanbo. The existing jetties are offshore and were erected primarily for shelter, not access. That is just one example of an area of significant tourism development potential where the statutory agency responsible for its development has not taken the initiative. I am sure the same is true of many areas along the Shannon corridor.

A statutory body such as the river council, which would be charged with monitoring and establishing a foothold along the length of the river and in its catchment area, would be an ideal developmental body. However, I am not aware of the Government's views on this concept, other than its acceptance of Second Stage.

I am anxious that the widest possible range of interests is represented on this body. It is the successor to the Shannon Forum which was set up on a non-statutory basis in the 1980s and encompassed all the interests operating in the Shannon catchment area, farming and environmental organisations, local authority representatives, tourism interests etc. I hope this council will be comprehensive in its membership so those who have a genuine interest in all aspects of the Shannon; its environment, history, tourism potential and farming; and the statutory councils will be involved.

One can imagine the explosion of creativity that would emerge from the Shannon River Council if all of these fine people were involved. Would the Government be prepared to give it the necessary resources to carry out its mandate and allow it to flower and develop from its humble origins? I would like to hear these questions answered by the Minister. What is the future of the Shannon River Council? What role is envisaged for it in the continuing development of our most important waterway? Will it act in a developmental role across the range of activities I outlined or will it be narrowly focused on water quality and environmental matters? I do not want to diminish the importance of those.

As someone who lives beside the Shannon waterway like many of my colleagues contributing to the debate, I see its future development as vital to the enhancement of the economic prosperity of the inhabitants who live along it. I am an enthusiastic supporter of this Bill and I wish it well.

I express my appreciation and that of Senator Daly to the Minister and all of our colleagues in the House for the all-party welcome they have given to this initiative which we have undertaken. It is of considerable importance, not just for Shannonsiders, but also in terms of the national significance of this major waterway. It is the finest waterway in Britain and Ireland and has played a major role in all stages of Irish development — cultural, recreational, industrial, urban and agricultural.

It is not our purpose in this Bill to diminish in any way the development along this national artery. Our purpose is to ensure the ordered and regulated continuation of that development to guarantee that the economic wellbeing of those who live in the Shannon catchment area will be enhanced in the future in a way that will not spoil the pure waters of that lordly river. I am grateful, as is Senator Daly, to my colleagues for the warm response they have given to our initiative. Unfortunately, Senator Daly is indisposed today, although not seriously. Otherwise he would be here to express his thanks to our colleagues.

If the welcome which has been given to the Bill by our colleagues and the Minister has qualifications, we accept them. We are the first to acknowledge that we want to have a Shannon river authority with a full and effective statutory function to regulate, control and penalise, not just monitor and report. We want to see an authority which will be guaranteed a statutory function by the Oireachtas.

We recognise there are a plethora of agencies and authorities that have a statutory function — the ESB, Bord na Móna, fisheries boards, local authorities and the Board of Works. We cannot presume that we could get agreement from Government in one fell swoop to abolish all of those bodies and their interests in and around the Shannon and immediately replace them with the Shannon River Council. That is the ultimate aim of every Senator who has spoken on this matter. Until we have that degree of statutory control and function, we will not be able to guarantee the protection of the waters, streams, rivers, wildlife and fishlife of the Shannon.

At a time when there is some discussion on the role of the Seanad, this debate is a tribute to that role and a vindication of the significance and importance of this House. I appreciate the active role my colleagues have played in debating this issue. The Seanad, as it has demonstrated on this Bill, is the House where legislation can be considered calmly and effectively without a partisan political attitude. As is evident from the welcome given to the Bill by all sides of the House, it extends beyond partisan politics.

I note the suggestion that Senator Daly or I may not be in this House at a later stage as if we are successful in the forthcoming election we will be promoted or demoted to the Lower House. What is being done here must be continued and developed in the other House as soon as the Bill passes through the Seanad. It is my intention, whether in Government or in Opposition in this House or the other one, that this Bill will proceed and I will take on board the valid suggestions made by colleagues in this House.

Those suggestions have been consistent and many Senators, including Senator Belton, have correctly pointed out that there is overlap. We are addressing this. I probably know the river Shannon and its lakes better than anyone else. When I was four or five years old my late father and I went fishing at Luska with the late Johnny Kennedy, who was then 84 years old. One could call him the old man of the Shannon. I am familiar with the moods of that lake and I love its character.

I am conscious of the overlap and the lack of co-ordination which exists between various bodies with responsibility in this area. I propose on Committee Stage to take on board some of the suggestions made by tabling amendments to the Bill. I hope those amendments will not elicit any negative response from Government though this has not been the case to date. I intend to consult the Leader of the House, the Minister and all parties with a view to introducing amendments which could be agreed on an all party basis. I do not want this Bill to be viewed as a partisan, party issue.

The real feature of this Bill is that all the voluntary organisations and lakeshore communities that live beside the Shannon and play, fish, swim and boat on it will be, for the first time, involved in a statutory council. It will be the first time that the views of local people will be taken into consideration with regard to the development of the Shannon and so on. The people living in those lakeshore communities are those best equipped to advise, through a council, on what effective actions should be taken to co-ordinate the activities of local authorities, the development agencies, the Board of Works and so on. They are in a position to ensure that gaps or unnecessary confrontation between authorities are eliminated so that people can work together in a common cause. I pay special tribute to those voluntary organisations and lakeshore communities.

Before I introduced the Bill I consulted groups and communities in the Lough Derg area. The Shannon extends as far as Lough Ree but I did not have the opportunity or capacity to consult people there. I want to record the fact that this Bill would not be before this House were it not for the vigorous support of those lakeshore communities and voluntary organisations. In the case of Lough Derg, these communities include Portumna, Terryglass, Luske, Puckane, Dromineer, Urra, Youghal Bay, Garrykennedy, Ballina and Castleough. If that list does not suggest I know the lake fairly well, I do not think anything would. Many people from those communities travelled quite a distance to give us the benefit of their views on the programme we are proposing for the Shannon River Council. I acknowledge the role played by the various angling, boating, yachting and swimming clubs along the Shannon which were all involved in the consultation process but if I were to single out one group it would be the organisation, referred to by Senator Mooney, known as Save Our Lough Derg or SOLD. I should also acknowledge the contributions of Greenpeace, An Taisce, the ESB and all of the other bodies which had an involvement.

The SOLD campaign and its members were of immense assistance to Senator Daly and me. I would like to pay particular tribute to its Chairman and Secretary, John Sheehy and Bernard Chadwick who did a marvellous job in co-ordinating much of the work done in the preparation of this Bill. We owe it to them and the people they represent to ensure that we do something positive about this issue.

I am indebted to the Minister for responding to the Bill. Minister Burton provided us with some very significant information which, if anything, strengthened the case for a Bill such as this. The Minister mentioned that the Shannon catchment area extends for 2,228 kilometres if one considers the number of rivers, streams and channels involved. One is literally dealing with the waterway of Ireland and with something that impinges on the lives of those living along the Shannon and beyond it.

I am indebted to the Minister for pointing out that surveys have shown some 32 per cent of the river channel is polluted. Less than 20 per cent of this is regarded as moderately polluted and 12 per cent as slightly polluted. I understand that the 12 per cent figure has increased to 17 per cent. If one considers that almost all of the upper Shannon near Lough Allen and the Shannon Pot is, fortunately, almost totally unpolluted and unspoiled one will get an indication of the level of degradation of Lough Ree. We cannot watch that degradation continue without taking action of the kind I am proposing. Speakers on all sides of the House have supported me in this.

I want to make it very clear that I want the council to have a statutory function which will confer limited and specific responsibilities. If I could give the council the statutory function to do all that requires to be done on every front in respect of the development of the Shannon, the control of pollution and so on I would propose that right now. I acknowledge that all of this is necessary in the long run. However, as an experienced legislator I am aware that will not, and cannot, be done overnight but it is time it started.

The real feature of this Bill is that, for the first time, local people are being given an opportunity to make their views known. These include local representatives and county councillors who up to this point have had no statutory function in relation to the control of pollution of the Shannon, recreational organisations, lakeshore communities, and those interested in the archaeological sites along the Shannon and its cultural inheritance. Monuments are being spoiled along the Shannon through casual intrusions and by picnickers. All of these are matters of fundamental importance for this council. The castles and monasteries along that river are a particular feature of Lough Derg. My family name is associated with it through Mr. Garry Kennedy and the old castle at Dromineer. It should be protected and enhanced and the council will have a major role in ensuring that is done.

It will be a statutory council with executive functions. It must have its own staff and it will have the power to monitor, control and report on the activities of the other agencies and bodies associated with the River Shannon. Unfortunately, some of those bodies have done the opposite to what statute requires them to do. I will not point the finger at individual local authorities but the function of each authority is to control pollution and the environment. However, many of them for various reasons, such as a lack of adequate financial support from central Government, are among the primary polluters. Untreated sewage is a major issue. If one visits the beautiful still waters of the bays of Lough Derg at Dromineer, Luska and Urra one can see the effect of pollution caused by those who are charged with reducing environmental damage.

Individual members of local authorities, such as the chairman of SOLD, Councillor John Sheehy, should be members of the new body. Representatives of boatmen, yachtsmen, swimming clubs, An Taisce and environmentalists should also be involved. Senator Mooney said the council will generate an explosion of creativity with regard to the River Shannon. This should be based on a constant commitment in terms of the recommendations the council will make to the Minister for the Environment, to whom it will report on a statutory basis twice a year. The Minister of the day and not the council will have responsibility for making decisions. However, the council will make recommendations twice a year which will be published and debated in the Houses of the Oireachtas. They will be a matter of public record and any Minister in any Government would ignore the recommendations and findings of such a body at their peril. The central thrust of the Bill is that the council will be an on the spot watchdog. It will ensure that its recommendations are effectively implemented.

The lordly River Shannon has a mile for every day of the year and industrial and agricultural development and urban renewal should continue in every town — Athlone, Banagher, Nenagh, Birr, Roscrea, etc. — along its 365 miles. There should be development but it must be controlled in a way which ensures that it enhances the river rather than spoils it. I acknowledge Members' points about the overlap of facilities and that one cannot suddenly eradicate the role of statutory bodies. However, judging by the mood of the House and the public's reaction to the Bill, it is time to start taking action on a co-ordinated and effective basis. The Bill is our contribution to the initiation of that action.

I first joined the House in 1965 and I have had a lengthy political career involving a number of Ministries. It is for others to judge the significance of my contribution in the Departments of Education, Transport and Power, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Agriculture and Labour. However, if I thought this Bill was the beginning of the protection and enhancement of the beautiful River Shannon, from the Shannon pot to Loop Head, whatever else I did in my political career would pale into insignificance in comparison to the contribution that Senator Daly and I made in that regard.

Question put and agreed to.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Friday, 6 June, subject to the agreement of the Whips.

That is a significant date, but if I am otherwise engaged I will come back.

Committee Stage ordered for Friday, 6 June 1997.
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