The first item on the agenda concerns the minutes of the meeting held on 25 May, which have been circulated to members. Are they agreed? Agreed. The second item on the agenda is correspondence. We have received the following items of correspondence since our last meeting. The first item is 878, European World newsletter. We will note the correspondence. The next item 879 is a ministerial press release on the reintroduction of the Red Kite in Ireland. We will note the correspondence. The next item 880, a call by Deputy Christy O’Sullivan for a discussion on the prosecution of farmers by the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland for clearing drains and waterways on their land.
Business of Joint Committee
This is a matter that has been brought to my attention by some of my constituents, who have a lot of land fronting rivers and waterways. In some instances they would have a mile to two miles of river frontage. They are finding it very difficult to drain the land that adjoins the river. They are prevented in some instances from doing any drainage works. Where they have carried out drainage works, they find it impossible to get the water to enter the river because of the build up of gravel and silt which prevents the water from entering. The land is becoming flooded on a regular basis and more so this year with the flooding at the beginning of the year. It is becoming impossible for some to farm their land and make a living. I want to have this matter discussed and to have the relevant people come before the committee to answer questions on what can be done to work with farmers to improve the situation. In some cases, farmers have lost animals, where the cattle grazing on the banks have fallen into the river because the banks have been undermined. This cannot be allowed to continue. Farmers should be allowed to carry out works to prevent the land from being eroded, and to put up rock armour where it is needed.
I ask the Chairman to place this matter on the agenda and have it discussed as soon as possible.
Is it agreed that we discuss this issue at a suitable opportunity? Agreed. The next item is 881, GLOBE International newsletter. We will note the correspondence. The next item is a letter from Mr. John Hamilton, the Oireachtas's representative in the European Union, and it pertains to parliamentary activities in the European Parliament. We will note the correspondence. The next item 883, a letter from Dublin City Council and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, is a reply to a letter from the joint committee that queried their financial ability to implement the water service investment programme. The committee has written to each of the local authorities to ascertain the funding they have to provide for their share of funding to implement the water service investment programme as recently announced and to know if there is sufficient funding at local level and matching funding to deal with it. At this stage all we will do is hold the correspondence from the local authorities which have replied to us and when we have all the replies, we will do an assessment and a report.
Does Deputy O'Sullivan wish to comment?
This is a matter of major concern to all local authorities. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has announced a significant investment programme. However, in the case of my own local authority, Cork County Council is not in a position to carry out any of these works. We need to discuss how we can surmount this problem. I do not think the difficulties are confined to Cork County Council, but I think the Department is looking for a contribution of 30% on average from the local authorities. I do not know how we can manoeuvre. It is a funding matter and I think some cases must be prioritised for 100% funding, otherwise the work will not be done.
At this stage we are trying to establish what funding the local authorities have. I do not think anybody has asked that question collectively before. The local authorities would have collected money from development levies.
They have been asked, but I have been told on several occasions? —
We will await the replies. Development levies have been collected for water and sewage improvement works in every local authority area, but there are restrictions in terms of maintaining a certain level of balances in accounts.
We have been told that money has been spent already on schemes that have been carried out. We are talking about the current programme.
Is the money collected for the development fund ring-fenced for the area for which it is collected?
No. Most local authorities have one development fund, and in the local authorities with which I am familiar, the money is collected. For the programme of development levies, the managers have produced an annual report to be discussed by the members and they include the full list of funding through special levies, levies members have passed, former levies, what remains in the balance and how it is spent. Members see that at local authority level once a year.
Some local authorities impose unfair charges for sewerage and water connections in one-off houses not availing of council collections. They also charge for roads and open space when the only open space there is the countryside.
The development levy scheme has been approved and voted on by local authority members. This protects it from being overruled by An Bord Pleanála. Deputy McCormack is correct in the point he makes but we will see what information can be provided.
We note the following circular issued by the Department to local authorities, WP 17.10/2010, a pilot project to support the Waste Management (Certification of Historical Unlicensed Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity) Regulations 2008 and the payment of the second tranche of 2009 funding for private rented inspections. SI 211 and SI 212, on the conservation of wild birds special protection areas, have been signed by the Minister.
Sitting suspended at 3.52 p.m. and resumed at 3.53 p.m.