Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 February 2024
228. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how Ireland is implementing the Water Framework Directive; what resources are provided for implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9894/24]
View answerThe EU Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy) establishes a common framework for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater. River basin management planning, structured in six-year cycles, along with its associated Programme of Measures, is the tool prescribed by the Directive for achieving these aims.
Building on the successful elements of the first River Basin Management Plan cycle, the Government introduced new high-level structures for implementation of the WFD as part of the second-cycle river basin management plan that covered the period 2018-2021. These new implementation bodies are supported by regional local authority structures, comprising of 5 regional committees, which drive the delivery of supporting measures at local level. These structures are further supported by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), which acts as a local government national shared service and is funded by my Department.
A significant element of the engagement by the Local Authorities in implementing the WFD is through nitrates inspections. Within the local authority sector, the local authority National Agricultural Inspection Programme was established to undertake agricultural inspection and enforcement under the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations with guidance and oversight provided by the EPA. To fully resource the programme, the Department is funding 57 local authority staff.
Other initiatives under the third cycle RBMP include new agri-environmental schemes under the CAP Strategic Plan which will invest €2.9billion in environmental protection measures administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. These schemes have been designed to contribute to water policy environmental objectives, as far as practically possible. Also, a Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has been specifically designed to target water protection measures based on risk (€60million) on 15,000 farms. It is specifically focused on reducing losses of phosphorus, nitrogen, sediment and, where relevant, pesticides to water from agricultural lands.
To address hydromorphological pressures on natural water a new national restoration programme (improvements to river habitats) is being developed to mitigate the negative impact of past construction in or near water bodies. The third cycle RBMP will initially aim to mitigate up to 5% (257) of the 2,000-7,000 problem barriers identified by Inland Fisheries Ireland to date. A minimum investment of approximately €110 million is anticipated.
My Department is currently preparing the third River Basin Management Plan for Ireland, to cover the WFD third cycle, and which will be published shortly. A key commitment in the Programme for Government, a new revised and strengthened River Basin Management Plan is a strategic plan that will outline the national policies and high-level goals that will protect and restore our natural waters, and will advance Ireland’s commitment to the implementation of the WFD.
