I wish to protest that the Minister did not come to the House to answer the matter directly. I do not wish to cast any aspersions on the Minister of State with responsibility for trade and commerce and I am sure he is very capable in his area, but he does not have a clue about the subject of my question. The Minister should be here to answer what is asked in the House rather than having a prepared script which is read in the House.
I was born and reared beside the River Robe and I spent many happy days fishing there in my youth. The river has come to a sorry pass now. The River Robe drains the south and east Mayo basin and runs into Lough Mask on its western shore.
The western shore shallows of Lough Mask are the main area for wild brown trout angling on the lake. The lake comprises 20,000 acres and has depths of up to 150 feet. Because of its shallow nature the western shore area of the lake is particularly prone to pollution. There is now moderate or slight pollution in 70% of the river. On a recent visit I observed a yellow scum from bank to bank of the river about one inch thick which was waiting to fall to the bed of the river and cause further havoc. Not only is this filth being dumped into Lough Mask, the Robe is also the primary spawning river for the Lough Mask trout and the particularly unique gillaroo trout. Already stocks in the lake are adversely affected and a collapse in the brown trout stock in the river has taken place.
This is a crisis in one of Europe's prime wild trout fisheries. The stakeholders are Mayo County Council, the Western Regional Fisheries Board, Carra Mask Anglers Federation, Clar IRD, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Teagasc, the Office of Public Works, Farm Development Services, the Irish Farmers Association, the Forestry Service, Dúchas, the Central Fisheries Board, the EPA, TAFI and Ballinrobe anglers. The Minister launched a catchment management group on 25 February 2002. A statement issued by the Department stated:
Speaking over the weekend at the launch of the River Robe Catchment Management Group in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo, Minister Frank Fahey stated that "pollution is the biggest threat to our salmon, trout and coarse fish resource and the state of fish stocks is the first barometer of water quality in our rivers and lakes.
According to Fahey, the state of the Robe River in Co. Mayo is "frankly depressing". A recent survey carried out by the Western Regional Fisheries Board found that nearly 70% of the river as surveyed is now classified as slightly or moderately polluted.
Increases in algal growth as a result of enrichment have occurred in the river and in recent years this has been coupled with a deterioration in the diversity of insect and other forms of animal life. These problems have also been coupled with a collapse in the wild brown trout stock in the river and an associated decline in Lough Mask. He said "it is imperative that we move now to put in place collective action to turn this unacceptable situation around".
On that day he sanctioned a €100,000 start up grant for the group. I will quote from his statement in case there is any doubt:
This year there is €1 million available for projects to be delivered by local clubs and associations acting in co-operation with the fisheries boards. The Minister said that in relation to the Robe River Catchment, "I have sanctioned a €100,000 start up grant", adding that "I am requesting the Western Board, together with the local stakeholders, to complete the planning work necessary to support an application for further NDP funding as soon as possible".
The statement went on to read:
Concluding his remarks, Minister Fahey said "it is important to recognise that we are committed to the recovery of the catchment over the long-term and that there is important work to be done to build trust among all the stakeholders and to foster a new ethos of environmental awareness in the catchment area".
Not one cent of this money has been paid to the group and it has now been informed that no money is available and that there never was. The question must be asked, and I want an answer, was this another pre-election false promise, a gimmick to deceive the group and buy votes? What happened to the money the Minister officially sanctioned that day at a public meeting? He issued a public statement to support what he said. Do not tell me the western board applied for €10,000 and it is now on its way. That allocation has nothing to do with the start up grant for the Robe catchment group but is for other ongoing work on the river. It is completely unrelated to the €100,000 grant which was sanctioned but which disappeared after the election. It was most timely from that point of view.
I call on the Minister's successor to honour the ministerial sanction of funds. The group cannot operate without them. Lough Mask and the River Robe cannot survive without the group.
Pollution is a serious problem. Cattle numbers in the catchment area have increased by a factor of 25 since 1975. Septic tanks are also a problem as are silage pits and the spreading of phosphates and nitrates on the land. There is not a town sewerage problem as that has been resolved by the Department of the Environment and Local Government in all the towns in the catchment area. For future generations, present economic considerations and the sustainability of the area, the promise made to these 14 groups which came together must be kept.
