asked the Minister for the Environment if he will assist farmers in complying with the new environmental protection laws.
76.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Environmental Protection Laws.
42.
asked the Minister for the Environment the progress of the task forces that have been set up in each county to deal with water pollution; and where corrective action has been taken at enormous cost, if he proposes to make grants available.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 42 and 76 together. I understand from local authorities that the work of the task forces set up to deal with water pollution is progressing satisfactorily and that a significant number of farms will be surveyed before the silage-making season commences. It is for the local authorities to determine what remedial measures are required to deal with any sources of pollution identified in the reports on individual farms.
I have no proposals to make grants available to assist farmers to comply with the requirements of water pollution legislation. However, brochures containing advice, guidelines and standards on the collection, storage and disposal of farm wastes are to be distributed to farmers. In addition, ACOT are operating a new farm environment service to provide professional help for farmers in the effective managment of farm wastes and in the prevention of pollution.
Will the Minister agree that we should all try to do something about water pollution particularly in view of what occurred last year and will he agree that advice alone will not sort out this problem? Is the Minister aware of the difficulties that have been encountered by farmers, and certain industries, in trying to curtail pollution? Will he accept that if he does not do something about providing financial assistance we will face the same problems this year that we faced last year?
I am aware of all the difficulties involved. I must remark that the Deputy's attitude in the past year has been very supportive and that is appreciated. It is certainly more important to identify the sources and the culprits who are deliberately polluting — there are not that many of them — and I am happy to report that many of them when approached recognised the pollution they were causing and wanted to do something about the problem. However, others do not care and we will have to pursue them the hard way and that is why I will be introducing an amendment to the 1977 water pollution Act before the House. That amendment will stiffen the penalities. However, the enforcement of the law on its own is not the real answer, there has to be an educational process which may be long and tedious. The latter is having its effect. The Department of Agriculture have been most supportive in regard to curbing pollution. The Deputy will be aware that there is a grant available under the farm improvement programme to full-time farmers but that grant is only paid when suitable and adequate waste storage facilities are provided. Part-time farmers have a difficulty but I understand — I hope I am not out of order now — that considerable progress has been made in trying to get farm aid under the western package. I expect we will get good news later today or tomorrow that will have a bearing on this problem. The Deputy should accept that we are all conscious of what needs to be done. It is our intention to carry out a dedicated campaign with the assistance of industrialists who have licences. I should like to tell the Deputy that every licence — there are about 1,600 of them — must be reviewed to check if industrial waste emissions are in accordance with the schedule attached to the licence. Surveys are an integral part of the method of dealing with this problem and they are working very well in the majority of county councils. It is gratifying to note that the suggestion put forward by the Deputy last year in regard to this has been taken on board. There is a willingness to co-operate and I am pleased about that.
I appreciate that advice and education are necessary but I should like to know if the Minister is aware that at a time when agriculture is in a depressed state many farmers cannot afford to deal with the problem. Has the Minister any proposals to help them?
Proposals are being discussed at EC level, particularly in regard to part-time farmers who do not have the capacity to deal with the problem. I hope there will be good news about this shortly. I should like to tell the House that a strong case has been made at EC level by my colleague, Deputy O'Kennedy, and myself. We got a good hearing. The apathy that existed worldwide in regard to environmental matters has dissipated and all countries represented at the last meeting I attended indicated their willingness to do something about pollution, not just in so far as farm waste is concerned but air pollution and so on. There is a willingness to deal with the problem and I am pressing to get some funds from EC sources to help us out in the way the Deputy has suggested. In my view we are making progress.
I should like the permission of the Chair to raise on the Adjournment the contents of the Taoiseach's reply to questions on the Anglo-Irish Agreement, devolved government and, in particular, the general issue of the policy on interim solutions for peace in Northern Ireland.
I will communicate with the Deputy.
I should like the permission of the Chair to raise on the Adjournment the closure of Rosenallis Post Office.
I will communicate with the Deputy. The Deputy will be aware that we had hoped to deal with that matter last evening but that did not materialise owing to the fact that the House ran out of business and the Deputy was not readily available at that time to raise it.
As I explained to the Ceann Comhairle's secretary, I had a meeting with a number of business people and when I returned to the House to raise the matter on the Adjournment I discovered the House had been adjourned.
That was not the fault of the Deputy.