As Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, my responsibility under the 1976 Wildlife Act is for the conservation of wildlife. The principal concern of my officials during the oil spill on the east coast in late September was the monitoring of the coastline to find dead or ailing seabirds or other wildlife to determine the impact of the spillage on wildlife generally and bird species in particular. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, co-operated in exchanging information with IWC BirdWatch Ireland which co-ordinates counts of dead or injured birds.
The generally poor survival rate for rescued and treated seabirds suffering oil contamination does not devalue the trojan efforts of voluntary groups recently engaged in the rescue and treatment of oiled seabirds in Dublin Bay. I certainly acknowledge and appreciate the very active role taken by the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and other welfare organisations in this rescue effort.
The Government is committed to the "polluter pays" principle whereby persons responsible for pollution are liable for the costs associated with the incident. The penalties for pollution at sea range from £1,000 to £10 million and costs incurred by any organisations as a result of this pollution should be claimed so that if and when the polluter can be identified in this case, suitable recompense can be obtained.
While I appreciate that the DSPCA and other nongovernmental groups and volunteers have incurred costs in attempts to save oiled seabirds, I regret that I am not in a position to make funds available to meet the costs incurred by these organisations.