For the information of the House, this is a Private Members' Bill. The Second Stage of this Bill is being treated in the same way as a non-Government motion. The time allocated to the proposer is 12 minutes and the proposer will have five minutes to reply at the end of the debate. Every other Senator will have eight minutes to contribute as usual.
Shannon River Council Bill, 1998: Second Stage.
I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
Unfortunately we are not discussing this Bill in Government time, so our time is somewhat restricted. I will do the best I can to propose this important Bill in 12 minutes. The purpose of the Shannon River Council Bill is to set up a council for the catchment area of the River Shannon from its source to the points between Loop Head and Kerry Head. One of the most extensive waterways in Europe and the tributaries thereof are being dealt with in this Bill.
The River Shannon and its tributaries are a huge economic asset to this country. Huge benefits emanate from agriculture, tourism and fishing in this area as well as from archaeological, religious and other historical aspects. It is a wonderful asset, but for a variety of reasons over the years it has not been given the type of official recognition it should have received. This Bill proposes to set up a council which will be able to achieve a number of objectives in relation to the River Shannon.
The main purpose of the Bill is to set up a council which will consist of not more than 20 members and will have a chairman and a chief executive. It is important that a chief executive and staff are put in place so that it can be effective and specific works can be carried out. It is important the Bill has specific functions. The functions of the council shall be to propose policies and priorities for the enhancement of the water quality of the River Shannon and its catchment basin and for the protection and enhancement of the environment and of the natural habitats of bird life and fish life in that region.
The protection and enhancement of the environment covers a wide range of issues. The environment of the river covers many areas, including the agricultural environment, which will have to be dealt with. Recently, it became apparent when flooding occurred in the Shannon catchment area, particularly in counties Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and, indeed, in County Clare from the River Fergus in the Ennis and Corofin areas, that nobody was prepared to take responsibility. At all the public meetings held, one official body after another refused to take responsibility and that applied to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the Department of the Environment and Local Government, the ESB, the Office of Public Works, Bord na Móna, Dúchas, the inland waterways body and the fisheries boards. The situation is most unsatisfactory. The environment of the Shannon has been detrimentally affected as a result of this flooding and nobody will take responsibility. This is unacceptable and this Bill, as proposed, hopes to address that issue.
Under the provisions of the Bill, the enhancement of the environment has to be specifically addressed. All sides of the House would agree with that aspect of the proposal. Decisions on the environment and water quality are taken by the Department of the Environment and Local Government and the local authorities. However, the local authorities do not work very closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, which has put in place a pollution protection scheme and incentives to provide protection facilities in an agricultural context. Where flooding occurs, all the protection facilities, holding tanks and slurry pits cannot prevent pollution. Even if septic tanks are put in place in accordance with the planning requirements of a local authority when flooding occurs they can cause major pollution and have a detrimental impact on the environment.
With regard to the co-ordination of the work of public authorities, this Bill recognises that the ESB, the Office of Public Works, Bord na Móna and Dúchas have statutory authority and specific responsibilities for certain matters. This Bill does not impinge on or take from those statutory responsibilities, rather it is an attempt to co-ordinate the work of those bodies to ensure they can co-operate in working to the benefit of the com munities who live in the catchment area of the River Shannon.
The ESB has a number of sluice gates at various points on the River Shannon, which are in place with a view to generating electricity. The points at which those gates open and close to contain or release water, particularly flood water, are vital. This issue must be taken up with the ESB. If this Bill was enacted, the Shannon river council would be empowered to contact the ESB and the Minister responsible for it to ensure matters are dealt with in a manner beneficial to the environment and the circumstances along the River Shannon.
As regards the Office of Public Works, we recognise that no specific drainage plan was put in place, yet the Office of Public Works has responsibilities in this respect. However, it is difficult to get the Office of Public Works to take responsibility for it. I am sure the Cathaoirleach concurs with me on this because he lives in the area that was affected and he will appreciate the problem. There is a need for someone to oversee this work and to get in touch with the Minister responsible to make sure that the bodies concerned do what they are supposed to do within their areas of responsibility.
A great amount of silting has resulted from work carried out by Bord na Móna along the River Shannon and this has caused serious pollution. A good deal of pollution has resulted from industry in the main towns along the Shannon. Local authorities have also been polluters with sewerage systems, or the lack of them in some instances, releasing material into the River Shannon. I recognise that a good deal of work has been done in this regard in recent years and work is ongoing on sewage treatment plans in large towns situated along the river. I hope such work continues.
The need to co-ordinate the work of the public authorities is the single most important point. It is vital that the Shannon river council co-ordinates the work of the various authorities with different responsibilities. Equally, the council would be in a position to provide technical or financial assistance to a person or body who needs it, which is extremely important. In recent times, particularly in the Athlone area and the callows area of Roscommon, there was serious flooding and many farmers lost out on the aftergrass from September onwards, which was a major loss. To compound matters, their lands were flooded and they lost bales of silage and all their winter fodder. In the case of such losses, it is important that somebody should be in a position to provide financial assistance and the Shannon river council is a body that could be empowered to do that. It is extremely important that should happen.
It is also important that the council should have enforcement powers. The Minister should consider putting in place an annual grant to fund it – at least £10 million initially, because that is the minimum figure needed, which could be put to use for work along the River Shannon.
While there are a variety of issues to be addressed, I can only touch on the most essential. There is repeated flooding in the areas I mentioned, including areas around the River Fergus, Corofin and the Ennis area. The Minister of State may say that we have had the heaviest rainfall in 50 years and that the levels of the river have not been as high since 1954. With global warming, we know there is a possibility of a greater level of rainfall in the years ahead. We will have to live with that and face up to it. This issue will not disappear. The environment will be damaged if we do not address this problem and give this body, which is representative of the entire area, specific responsibility. The Minister could make appointments to it and empower it to take action, advise him, make recommendations and ensure that bodies that have statutory responsibilities are made to take responsibility. That is the kernel of this Bill. I cannot go into the detail of it but I hope that between now and next week the Leader will be able to afford Government time to debate the Bill so that it is given the airing it requires to put in place constructive legislation.
It is unfair that Senator Taylor-Quinn has only five minutes to respond at the end of this debate. We might reconsider that. I am sure Members on all sides would agree she should be entitled to a longer time to respond.
The Whips can consider that for the next day.
I will do that.
I appeal to my colleagues on the far side of the House to accept this Bill. There is an element of politics in everything we do, as there must be. Members on the other side of the House have to take a particular line on this Bill on behalf of their parties and we must respect that. A similar Bill, for which I have great enthusiasm, was presented to the House by Fianna Fáil with the support of the Progressive Democrats when they in Opposition three or four years ago. We may say all we want about people's views on politics. There is a "holier than thou" attitude in that regard, but we all have to do our jobs. It demeans politics if we cannot get support on this Bill. There should be consensus on it across the House because a similar Private Members' Bill was promoted in this House by Deputies Daly and O'Kennedy when they were Senators. I put it to the Minister of State that this is what drags politics into the mire. People cannot understand how politicians can do such things. How could such a Bill have been right then but not now?
The Leader of the House said today on the Order of Business that there is never a wrong time to do the right thing. I commend that sentiment to Members on the Government side and I ask them to reconsider this Bill. If they considered a similar Bill good three or four years ago, I look forward to their support on this Bill tonight. While I accept fully that the Government can make any changes it wants to the Bill, I appeal to the Members opposite not to vote against it. If there is a Government position of voting against this Bill tonight, I ask my colleagues on the far side of the House to go back to the Fianna Fáil Party and bang heads together until they see sense. This is sensible legislation, which is in everybody's interest.
The River Shannon is under the authority of anybody one would care to mention – up to ten local authorities, four harbour authorities, elements of industry, town councils and large concerns like the ESB. Any sensible and sane person would agree that this Bill makes sense. A similar Bill made sense three or four years ago and this Bill makes every bit as much sense now. I commend it to the House.
With regard to what the Bill sets out to do, section 6 provides that the function of the council is to co-ordinate the activities of the public authorities, to promote public interest in and respect for the river and its waters, to make recommendations on the control of pollution and to co-ordinate the activities of public authorities, activities to which everyone would subscribe.
I do not want to pretend to anybody that the passing of this Bill would stop the Shannon from flooding. There was a very famous figure in Irish politics who founded the largest political party in this State who set out to drain the Shannon many years ago. It was not done then and it will not be done now. I will be up front and honest. I will not tell the residents of Banagher or Roscommon that it can be done. However, enacting this legislation could forward matters.
Earlier the ESB was mentioned. Everyone who lives along the river believes there is a strong man with a powerful finger in Ardnacrusha who can press a button and adjust the level of the Shannon by three feet. I do not know whether that is true but we have all heard that story a million times. The ESB denies it. A few years ago the farmers who lived near Banagher and Meelick took the decision to reduce the level of the Shannon by opening the sluice gates. That is an example of what I am talking about. There is no sense of trust or confidence in the regulations or the regulatory authorities. I am not saying that in a demeaning way about the county councils along the river. Roscommon County Council has invested a great deal in the River Shannon and deserves to be complimented for it. There is a case for the work of the county councils to be drawn together. That can be done in this legislation and it would give greater power to the county councils.
We recently examined the Lough Rea report on pollution and a number of points emerged, one of them being that the farming industry was responsible for a large amount of that pollution. I am not having a go at farmers. It means that the rural environment protection scheme or whatever scheme is applied must be developed. Farmers must also receive financial support. We cannot expect a farmer who lives on the edge of a river to take on extra expense to do his work without giving him support as well. This is for the environment and this issue should be addressed.
With regard to local authorities, I challenge the Minister on his response to this matter. Can he tell us how many pipes filled with raw sewage are being pumped into the River Shannon? The number would frighten people. We should demand that tertiary treatment plants are used to treat all waste water flowing into the River Shannon. The water should be clean enough to pipe it back to Dublin. If we allowed people to drink the water in Dublin we would reduce the level of the River Shannon.
The Senator would not wish that to happen.
It would bring a bit of the west's culture to Dublin. It is a nice idea and can only improve Dublin people.
The Senator is a Kerryman but I thought he had been adopted by Dublin.
No, I never left the green and gold behind me.
There are also issues related to industry which could develop well with the aid of a guiding light. There is no regulation. The Inland Waterways Authority has only a certain amount of power. I have spoken to Lieutenant Commander Charlie Lawn. At present, he is doing a good job in Brussels but he was frustrated by the lack of an overall authority. Most Members will know him because he was based here at one stage.
With regard to pollution, Senator O'Meara and I have often referred to the increase in zebra mussels in the Shannon navigation area. The problem has gone beyond it now because it has reached some of the tributaries and entered the River Suck and many others. These mussels are having a bad effect on the eco balance in the area and they need to be dealt with. There are no trout left in the River Shannon. As if that were not bad enough, with the expansion of the zebra mussel population there will be no pike left either.
The development of the algal bloom means that it can now be found in almost every backwater. Last year notices prohibiting bathing were erected at Lough Rea and on every beach, inlet and harbour connected to it. We could develop leisure industries such as fishing and boating as well as water sports and pursuits based on nature ranging from walking to bird spotting. The area surrounding the River Shannon is a beautiful part of Ireland and I say that as someone who was born and raised within 150 yards of the Atlantic Ocean. The Shannon is an extraordinary natural asset which has been under appreciated, underdeveloped and under exploited. The development of a Shannon River Council is crucial in terms of the future of Ireland. No right thinking, sensible or logical person could refute that.
Even in terms of drainage it does not take a genius to work out that part of the present flooding problem is related to arterial drainage carried out along the tributaries. Water now rushes into the main Shannon basin within hours of falling on the land, whereas years ago it would have taken a week to reach it. The river cannot handle the amount of water. Consequently, over the past three months there was a lot of flooding at Athlone, Meelick, Ardnacrusha and at the upper part of the river. That will be the case in future. This year people controlled the flow of water near Carrick-on-Shannon by damming the river or part of one of the canals. This must also be done in other places. In order to solve the problem we would probably needs to install locks on all the tributaries such as the Rivers Suck, Brosna and Little Brosna. We need to control water levels on some rivers in order to control the overall problem.
I appeal to my colleagues on the other side of the House to do the sensible thing. I urge them to do it for Ireland and support this legislation. They wrote it and my party supports it. Let us all join together on this and put it to the Government.
I welcome this opportunity to debate the Shannon River Council Bill, 1998. This Bill was originally initiated in this House by two colleagues, the then Senators Brendan Daly and Michael O'Kennedy. I supported them and I was directly involved at the time. Now the Opposition has decided to cross out a few names on the back sheet of this Bill, write some new names on it and present it as if it were a new Bill. That is not the case. This is a Fianna Fáil Bill which was initiated and put together after much research by Deputies Daly, O'Kennedy and myself in 1996.
That is why the Senator finds it so easy to support this Bill.
The level of involvement and research was extensive. We drew on all the experience of Deputy Daly who was a former Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works. His expertise was extremely helpful.
In the public Gallery are those who have suffered because of the inactivity of successive Governments over the years. We have representatives of farmers and householders from County Roscommon and other counties who live along the banks of the Shannon. They have had to put up with successive years of flooding, trauma and loss. Their problems came about as a result of a lack of activity and because no one wanted to take full responsibility for the Shannon and its waterways. No one wanted to take control of all of the waste that was dumped into it nor take responsibility for removing it.
This legislation is important. My party is as committed to it now as it was in 1995 and 1996. The Government side will afford the opportunity of debate and support tonight. It will also afford Government time next week for further debate of this Bill. The Department of Finance will take responsibility for this Bill. I hope both sides of the House will bring forward whatever amendments they consider necessary and that they will be debated openly on Committee and Report Stages. At the end of the day I hope we have in the Shannon River Council Bill a mechanism that establishes an authority with overall responsibility for the River Shannon and its tributaries.
Hear, hear.
I believe this Bill is vitally important. I also believe one of the finest riverways in Europe should not be left at the mercy of the whims of various bodies which have different agendas and are selfish in their approach in many ways. It seems that they are secretive even among themselves about what activity each body has responsibility for. That was established at a public meeting attended by approximately 500 people in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel in Athlone at which members of the public and the representatives of farmers and householders were left in the dark, given incorrect information and fed a line that no one could swallow. To put it mildly, the issue was bounced from one side to the other without anyone assuming responsibility. The only way we can resolve difficulties in this regard and obtain proper answers to the questions we have posed is if a single authority, which will have overall responsibility, is established. That authority will be obliged to answer questions in public on the basis of its statutory responsibility.
If the Bill is passed by both Houses, a 20 member council will be established to oversee the River Shannon. The functions of this council in respect of the matters we consider important will be clear. If there are other responsibilities which need to be included in the Bill before it is passed by the House – hopefully within a number of weeks – I urge Members to come forward with appropriate amendments on Committee and Report Stages.
I have made many public pronouncements on the River Shannon over a long period. I have stated that it is a national scandal that we have allowed all sections of the community – those involved in industry, farming and tourism and the local authorities – in the catchment area of the Shannon to use it as a dumping ground. Every concern based in the area to which I refer has used the main channel of the Shannon as an outfall. However, during my lifetime, no one has thought it worthwhile to remove even one shovelful of refuse from the river. The chickens have come home to roost and the flooding experienced during and after Christmas has been as bad, if not worse, than that which occurred in the 1950s. I have no doubt that this phenomenon will be experienced again to an even greater extent. We can expect to see much more serious flooding if action is not taken immediately. The introduction of regulations and by-laws by local authorities in conjunction with the enactment of this legislation is important. However, that is a matter for another day.
I support Senator O'Toole's comments on the outfall into the River Shannon. The Senator is a keen sailor and he will be aware of the fact that few of the hundreds of boats which use the Shannon have holding tanks.
My boat has one.
I accept that there are a number of exceptions. As far as I am aware there is only one pumping out station in operation on the Roscommon side of the river. This is based at Ballyleague and it is only used sporadically. The boats to which I refer travel the remainder of the river – from Loughrea, to the Hudson Bay and on to Athlone – on a daily basis and their owners dump their refuse and empty their sewerage tanks, if they have them, into the main channel. To where does the overflow from industry and local authority sewerage plants, the run-off from agricultural drainage plants and the waste from other concerns such as Bord na Móna go? It goes into the main channel. That practice cannot be allowed to continue.
As long as responsibility for the River Shannon is left in the hands of numerous bodies, we cannot address this problem. I have always supported the Bill, I was involved in its initiation and in my opinion it will address the problem to which I refer. Fine Gael, Labour and the Independents have put their names to this Bill, which was initiated by Members on this side of the House when they were in Opposition. The Bill has the Government's support. In my view it represents a good day's work, particularly for the people in the Public Gallery to whom I referred earlier.
I do not believe we can continue to allow the investments we have made in road, housing and farming developments to be washed away by floods. At some stage an actuary or accountant in a Government Department will ask why we should have to repair damage resulting from flooding when we should be dealing with the cause of that flooding. We have been dealing with the symptoms and we have forgotten to remedy the cause. The Bill represents the vehicle by means of which we can deal with the cause of flooding.
I am pleased to support the Bill on behalf of my party. We will, in whatever way possible and by means of any amendments we believe necessary and supportive, accommodate the passage of the Bill through the Seanad. I hope it will be passed by the Lower House later this year in order that the Shannon river council can be established, an event which will bring relief to the people of Counties Roscommon, Leitrim, Tipperary, Westmeath, Offaly and Clare whose representatives are present in the public gallery. As a result, the environmental problems to which I referred and the flooding caused by the Shannon will be the statutory responsibility of one body which will be answerable to the Oireachtas and will carry out its work on behalf of the people of Ireland, particularly those who live in the catchment area of the River Shannon.
Public bodies, be they local authorities or semi-State agencies, have a responsibility in this area. I hope they are aware that their actions will be closely scrutinised. It is time individualism and self-interest were put on the back burner in order that the public interest, particularly that of the people living in the Shannon catchment area, can be brought to the fore. The Bill represents the means by which this can be achieved.
I welcome Senator Finneran's sincere and warm support for the Bill. As he pointed out, the original Shannon River Council Bill was published by a former Member of this House, Deputy O'Kennedy, who hails from my constituency in North Tipperary. I am aware that the Deputy and his colleagues introduced the Bill as a genuine and sincere reflection of concerns which arose from the need to co-ordinate the activities of the multitude of agencies – local authorities, Government bodies and various other institutions – involved with the River Shannon.
I live in a constituency which borders the great Lough Derg, in respect of which a number of environmental issues have arisen. It was these issues which led to the genesis of the Shannon River Council Bill. When I became a Member of this House I was happy to re-introduce the Bill because I did not want to see it die. With other Senators, I could see the virtue and necessity of putting this legislation on the Statute Book. It gives me pleasure to see that this badly needed Bill will receive all-party support in this House.
On the Order of Business on the first sitting day after Christmas I asked the Leader if we would be obliged to wait until farmers and householders were up to their ankles in flood water in order to tackle this problem. Unfortunately, it appears that this is the case. As other Senators pointed out, the recent flooding is not a new occurrence and it will occur again unless the problem is tackled. In that context, my colleague, Deputy Penrose, made numerous statements about the need to establish a council or authority with responsibility to co-ordinate the activities of the various bodies and groups operating in the River Shannon's catchment area. It is essential that such a body should have an adequate annual budget to enable it to carry out its functions. Those functions would have to include the maintenance of the main artery of the river as a drainage channel.
Other issues arise out of the most recent flooding. Some of the victims of that flooding are in the Gallery and they know that one of the main problems is the urgent need for financial assistance targeted at those farmers who suffered due to the severe flooding last December and January, and back as far as last September. Much grazing was lost as a result of this flooding which has been particularly severe recently. It is essential that a proper financial package is put in place targeted at those farm ers to help them deal with the severe difficulties they are facing.
This Bill will probably be added to the Statute Book and we are open to discuss amendments to it to ensure that it meets the requirements of all those living and working in the River Shannon catchment. We also want to deal with agricultural and environmental concerns which are closely related.
In recent weeks the House had an excellent discussion on the report of the Lough Ree and Lough Derg monitoring group. That debate highlighted the range of issues, concerns and problems which must be addressed in the context of the River Shannon. There is a need for co-ordination and a sensible and essential approach to dealing with the range of issues pertaining to the river. We must put in place a body with responsibility for co-ordinating the work and responsibilities of the myriad agencies dealing with various aspects of the River Shannon. These agencies include local authorities, harbour boards, Government agencies, semi-State bodies and industrial, agricultural, tourism and angling interests. It is essential that this Bill is put in place.
The Bill is sensible legislation but perhaps it does not go far enough. In that context I look forward to an in-depth and considered debate on amendments which will ensure that the Bill becomes the kind of legislation we require. That legislation must establish an effective, well funded agency with the necessary authority and power to co-ordinate the activities of existing agencies, bodies and institutions. The agency established must also effectively protect the River Shannon and the interests of those who live in its catchment area, and the concerns of farmers who have experienced flooding must be high on its list of priorities.
I look forward to the all-party approach to this Bill. A reflection of good politics is that a good idea is not lost when a Government falls, an election is held and a new Government takes office. A good idea can be carried forward from one Government to another and from one party to another. Good ideas generated by long standing and experienced Members can be taken up by other Members, an all-party approach adopted and the ideas implemented. I look forward to further debate on this Bill.
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dan Wallace, and those in the Gallery who are interested in this legislation and who are affected by the problems of the River Shannon. Many people enjoy the River Shannon during the tourism season and are not adversely affected by it other than perhaps suffering a sore head after being in Killeen's in Shannonbridge or Haugh's in Banagher. The livelihood of those in the Gallery depends on decisions made in both Houses to ensure that they can continue to live on their farms. We support the Bill published by Deputies Daly and O'Kennedy which was well thought out and took some time to prepare. However, Deputy Richard Bruton, who was Minister at the time, did not take that Bill on board in spring 1997.
There are many problems involving the River Shannon which have to be addressed. A large number of organisations have an input into matters concerning the river. The input of some of these organisations is too great as they can control much of what happens on the river. A recent list highlighted the fact that 29 organisations had interests on the Shannon, including power generation, flood control, fish farming and so on. A single body must be given the responsibility of ensuring that the interests of those most affected by the Shannon are addressed.
The ESB carries most responsibility for the problems faced by those living on the River Shannon. If it took the livelihood of these farmers and householders into consideration, it would lessen their problems. Many farmers in the Gallery affected by the recent flooding also experience annual problems with flash floods which leave them without winter fodder. I saw gates closed in Meelick while water was practically flowing up the streets in Banagher and no decision was taken for days to address this situation. Why is the water level in Lough Derg not kept lower? At a well attended recent meeting in Athlone a prominent representative of the ESB seemed more concerned with making a telephone call to someone whose son's boat was caught in an area of the lake into which he should not have strayed. This man was more concerned with keeping the water level high then he was for the thousands of people upstream who were affected and who suffered flooding over the Christmas. It was fortunate that a storm did not occur upstream during this flooding as Banagher would have been flooded; the town was within inches of being flooded. I welcome this Bill which will ensure that a single body is responsible for the complete control of the Shannon and its catchment area.
We have spoken about arterial drainage and draining the River Shannon. Some speakers referred to how quickly water flows into the main channel. We know about that, but we have done nothing to reduce the water level in lakes to allow the floodwater through. I have heard it said that Ardnacrusha could take twice what goes through Meelick. If that were true, we would not have had the problems we had this year and in other years. It is unfortunate that almost all the farmers in the Shannon basin are moving out because we have taken no action to control the water level.
The difficulties facing farmers because of flash floods were caused by vested interests. One of the principal bodies ensuring that no drainage and no cleaning of the Shannon channel is carried out is Dúchas. If the Government decided to do something about cleaning the Shannon, people like those we had in Wicklow, Friends of the Earth, would be dug in along the Shannon. If we ever move in to clean up the Shannon it will be a great opportunity for farmers to leave some of them where they should be left, in the middle of the Shannon.
Boating is very important to tourism, and the Shannon is well able to cater for boats if they stay within markers. It is not necessary to keep the water level high from October to March. If necessary, legislation must be changed to ensure that it is not kept at its current level. When people who work in semi-State organisations get an instruction to keep the water level at ten or 15 feet, they do so with no concern for unfortunate farmers who have to try to live in the Shannon basin. What is needed is one Shannon authority that will ensure that the water is kept at a proper level during the months when there is nothing in the channels, unless we want to flood them for wild duck and wild geese. However, farmers along the Shannon do not make much money out of wild duck or wild geese. In any event, because of changes in legislation over the past few years, they cannot shoot wild geese. Despite that, we seem to be able to keep lots of flooded land for them.
We welcome and support this very well thought out Bill which, with the co-operation of all sides of this House, will be enacted in the not too distant future. In 1988, when the report on the problem of flooding in the River Shannon was launched in Athlone by Minister of State, Deputy Treacy – many of the Members here were in Athlone at the time – little did we think that 12 years later we would still not have put a spade in to clean the silt out of the Shannon.
I live on the Shannon. I know how many people are affected by flooding. I could talk at length about the personal problems caused by the workings of different Departments who should have taken account of the livelihood of people along the Shannon. This Bill is one of the most important to come before Seanad Éireann. It will give people who are affected by flooding an opportunity to be part of a body which will ensure their livelihood is maintained.
I am delighted we are debating this Bill. We are proactive in praising a Bill which had been the property of the Fianna Fáil Senators, and I am glad to support it.
The Shannon is the largest river in the British Isles. The whole catchment area goes right down to counties Kerry and Clare. This Bill will include every aspect of it, every river, stream, tributary, every lake, pond and canal in what is a major basin area. It will be called the Shannon River Council Bill. The catchment area of the Shannon is bowl-shaped and that contributes to flooding and particularly the flooding problems experienced during the unprecedented heavy rains of late 1999 and the early days of the new millennium. The entire Shannon system is a highly prized environmental resource which has importance economically and recreationally.
Let me home in on the water quality aspect because it is of the utmost importance in economic and recreational terms. It affects numerous sectors, including agriculture, industrial development, tourism, trade and decisions relating to the infrastructure of the area. It is obvious that the maintenance of a clean and attractive environment is crucial for the continued success and expansion of tourism, which is the first area I will examine.
Statistics show that one in four tourists participate in water sports which would be associated with the river and its catchment. Such water sports include angling, cruising and sailing. Lough Derg is a very important part of the tourism programme which was referred to by Senator O'Meara. It is essential that we have a Shannon river council to deal with water protection strategies. That council must work hand in hand with the EPA. The EPA has set up an extensive monitoring system for rivers. The figures it produced surprised me. The EPA has sampled 3,000 locations on 13,200 km of river channel, which is quite enormous. What we need is a national database. This is essential in relation to monitoring programmes. Recent figures show that 71% of river channel lengths and 77% of lakes surveyed are not polluted. Our attention is always drawn to reports of severe pollution, fish kills and so on. However, the figures show that our waters are not as polluted as might be suggested in media reports. Only 0.6% of channels are seriously polluted. That does not lessen the importance of having clean waters.
Pollution has been tackled. There have been closures of industrial activities associated with pollution. However, pollution still affects 11.4% of river channels. Eutrophication relates to extensive enrichment due to phosphorous deposits. The Shannon is threatened through eutrophication which is associated with the run-off from fertilised lands which causes phosphorous deposits – a figure of 50% is given by the EPA in relation to slight pollution. Industry still appears to be the major culprit in regard to serious pollution. We need early warning systems to ensure we know the problems in time. There are toxin-producing algae in Lough Derg, although techniques are being developed to help remove them.
The onus is on local authorities to work in these areas, although they do not have sufficient resources. They are finding it extremely difficult to employ environmental experts because people who might have worked in the planning, engineering or environmental sectors of local authorities are being attracted to the private sector. Private consultants are able to pay larger salaries to environmental experts and this means that local authorities will lose out. Environmentalists are important for policy development, particularly on strategic policy committees. These committees will be made up of members of the farming organisations, chambers of commerce and environmental and voluntary groups.
This Bill is timely. Because the Shannon river council will not be able to operate on its own, intensive links must be maintained with the EPA, the farming and tourism organisations, Dúchas and all the local authorities. The River Shannon borders counties Kerry and Clare and although County Limerick is situated on its estuary, it is not mentioned. Limerick is an extremely important county, although it is sometimes forgotten.
Deputy Wade was at the inaugural meeting of the River Shannon Forum.
He was on it during his time as chairperson of Limerick County Council. I was also on the River Shannon Forum before I was chairperson of the council and I was one of those who attended the most meetings. It met regularly in Athlone and published reports during my time on it. However, I do not remember any other representatives submitting a report to Limerick County Council.
Both County Limerick and County Clare suffer with an embargo on planning applications in high pressure zones because septic tanks pollute underground water supplies. This is important in County Limerick because the Shannon's flood plain covers most of the county. Local authorities are proactive in preventing seepage from septic tanks into underground water supplies. However, it is creating angst for local authority members who are constantly requested to push through planning applications in high pressure zones.
Improvements have been made to the Abbey river and once the main drainage system for Limerick is complete the waterways will be navigable. This means a boat journey could begin at the Atlantic, pass through the Shannon Estuary, where passengers could view such sights as the Kilrush marina, on to Limerick and the Abbey river, through Ardnacrusha and continue on to Killaloe and Lough Derg and into County Fermanagh. Some 500 boats a year could use this stretch of water and this would create new business and tourism opportunities at Killaloe, Limerick and the Shannon Estuary. People sometimes say that only part of the Shannon is navigable but they forget about the Shannon Pot and the Shannon Estuary.
We must look at the remit of the Shannon river council. I hope this advisory body is given enforcement powers. The EPA and the council should work in harmony to ensure the Shannon system is protected. It should also have a promotional role.
Questions were raised about flooding in Limerick city. It seems the ESB released waters at a particular time which had a spin-off effect on the area and caused extensive flooding in the city. This was the first time the city was flooded.
I pay tribute to my party for the work done on the Mulcaire river which has alleviated the flooding in villages such as Cappamore but has created problems for farmers in that catchment area. More Government funding is needed to alleviate those problems. Some 40,000 farmers have already benefited from the rural environment protection scheme.
All interested bodies should work together and adopt an integrated approach. This council must have strong enforcement powers and it must liaise with the bodies responsible for protecting the Shannon, developing tourism and protecting and improving the lot of farmers whose quality of life has been severely affected by many decades of flooding. Many young farmers want to continue farming but they do not want the hardship of continuous flooding. I look forward to Committee Stage and to debating the amendments which I am sure will be sent to Members of this House by the various interested bodies.
It is noteworthy that we are discussing a Bill in the opening months of the 21st century which will assist in draining the Shannon. Éamon de Valera talked about draining the Shannon in my grandfather's time. I hope this Bill will get a quick passage through the House, that we will have more action and less talk and that results will be forthcoming as soon as is technologically possible.
It is regrettable that this well thought out Bill was not put back on the agenda until after the severe flooding of the winter which played havoc with people's property, homes and livelihoods. That is a great pity and something I regret.
My party fully supports the recommendation that there should be one single river authority controlling, maintaining and caring for the Shannon from its source in County Cavan to where it enters the Atlantic at the Kerry-Limerick border. My party has put forward this policy for a number of years, mainly in the context of environmental protection and pollution control. There are now two demands, the objectives of which are not compatible. It will be a serious challenge to tackle these twin problems. Due to the nature of the River Shannon and the shallowness of its basin at many places, pollution tends to settle and linger, as it does in the lakes. If the bed of the Shannon is to be deepened, and it must be, to eliminate the flooding problems, the elimination of the pollution problem will be more difficult.
There are serious challenges but maybe they are not coming at the worst possible time. Money is available in the national plan, on a scale not envisaged at any time over the past decade, to tackle this problem. The best available technologies must be harnessed to tackle the twin problems. The tackling and elimination of pollution in the Shannon is just as important as the elimination of the flooding problem.
Past actions have failed. There was far too much fragmentation. It is the same old story – everybody's business is nobody's business. A range of different local authorities were charged with certain responsibilities. In many cases the local authorities were, for one reason or another, some of the primary polluters of part of the Shannon. The ESB, the fisheries boards and a range of people were all charged with the responsibility for protecting water quality. That kind of fragmentation has totally failed. That is the key reason we must put in place now one single authority which has jurisdiction over the whole course of the river from beginning to end. It must be an authority with clear and recognisable enforce ment powers which is prepared to work with all of the agencies and bodies, including the IFA, who have interests in this immediate area. Unless and until that is done, the aims of this Bill will not be achieved.
My party fully supports this Bill and wants to see it become law sooner rather than later. Action should be taken to ensure that the authority is put in place, with the proper teeth, and that it is given resources and a timeframe. Its activities should be monitored for effectiveness in tackling those problems.
The pollution is so severe in parts of the Shannon that one feels embarrassed and ashamed that fish are no longer living in parts of the lakes along such a lovely river. Its fish stocks ought to be one of the greatest assets in a country so dependent on recreational tourism, both for our own people and for incoming tourists. The fish are certainly not present in the numbers in which they were 20 years ago. Very strict measures will have to be taken and there should be no complacency and long-fingering any more.
For years I called on the Minister – and I am glad the Minister of State is here now – to ban totally phosphate-based detergents, which are being used by riverboats in the Shannon. While it is only one element in the whole pollution process, it is one that could be eliminated with a stroke of the pen. I have pointed more than once to what Deputy Mary Harney did concerning smoky coal in this city. Everybody saw the problem and those with bad chests suffered from it, but nobody was prepared to take on the vested interests in the coal industry until she became Minister of State at the Department of the Environment. With one stroke of the pen she completely abolished smoky coal, an action which has made a huge difference to the air quality in the city and to people's health. This kind of action must be taken if we are to tackle pollution. Our children will not forgive us if we allow this on-going, relentless deterioration of water quality in the Shannon and its lakes.
The rural environment protection scheme is now in place. It has been financed to a much higher extent this year, although I do not have the figure in my head. The farmers are also prepared to play their part to ensure that run-offs and eutrophication that happened in the past will be remedied, rectified and stopped. I hope that in the context of the national plan there will be sufficient treatment plants built for the towns which, prior to this, fed their raw sewage into the water.
This Bill is the vehicle for an integrated approach to the solution to this problem. I hope it will pass through both Houses with the minimum of delay and that we will take this issue seriously. We owe it to our children. We cannot guarantee them much in a rapidly changing world but we owe it to them to give them a country with clean water, healthy drinking water and clean air. We have the capacity to do that if we apply ourselves. I hope that farmers living along the Shannon basin will never again have to endure what they have suffered this year and regularly over a number of years. I hope that will never again be allowed to happen.
We have been listening for years to calls for the establishment of the Shannon river authority. We have been hearing about the proposed draining of the Shannon for 40 years. We need strong Government commitment to set up and operate this Shannon river authority.
The Shannon has thrown up many problems over the years, the greatest of which were evident over the past few months in the serious flooding problems for farmers of that region. Farming is difficult enough without the added burden and hardship of trying to deal with a river that is out of control for many months of the year. I pass across the Shannon every week and see a vista of water, which is like a giant lake – one could regard it as a lake, such as Lake Michigan – in the middle of our country. It is a river which is out of control. It is eye opening to see the engineering technology which has been employed over the years in Holland to overcome its problems with water. It is amazing how the rivers there are controlled in winter. The water is at ground level but it does not overflow or interfere with farm land.
Water is becoming scarce, it will be the cause of wars in the future. I was in Cyprus recently where there is no water. If that country had an asset like the Shannon it would have a better economy. The government there is discussing the idea of importing water from its old enemy, Turkey. That proves how valuable water is becoming. Scarcity of water will become a serious obstacle to economic growth in such countries.
We have an abundance of water and we do not know what to do with it. It destroys parts of the countryside, wrecks family livelihoods and creates havoc. It is three years since this Bill was first debated, a fact which does not indicate any great commitment on the part of the Government to solving the problem. It shows that no attempt has been made to solve the problem until it raised its head again in a dramatic fashion of the past eight months.
The River Shannon is a great tourist attraction. Tourism in this country could be boosted substantially if the water and pollution levels in the river were controlled properly. There should be an authority to monitor and co-ordinate all activities related to the river. Any such authority should have a substantial budget, statutory powers and the engineering expertise available in other countries to tackle the serious difficulties with the River Shannon. Holland is a classic example of what can be done to control river levels. Only one section of the Shannon causes major problems. It is not beyond the bounds of our engineering capabilities to tackle this once and for all. The people living in the region deserve that.
Those of us who have been trying to travel the roads in the west in recent months have had great difficulties because of flooding. It is an appalling state of affairs that the national primary road to the capital was impassable for weeks because it was waterlogged. The commitment of the Government to address the problem must be demonstrated by the establishment of a Shannon river authority.
There would be enough water in the Shannon to supply Dublin city if it was pollution free and properly managed. That is an asset of great value but we let it go to waste. Other countries would certainly appreciate a body of water even half the size.
It behoves us all to tackle this problem which has blighted the west for generations. In the present economic climate we have the resources to solve this problem and it should be done forthwith. Drainage and farming problems would disappear in less than a year as a result. It would also improve the boating facilities on the river, attracting more tourists. Boating on the River Shannon is an experience which not many other European countries can match. People who come here for such a holiday talk about it for years. The River Shannon system, however, is underdeveloped. A substantial budget should be set aside by the Government for any such project.
Water is a great resource. Some countries have put major desalination projects in place to remove the salt from sea water. Such projects cost enormous amounts of money and those countries embarking on them are not as rich as Ireland. They are doing so to safeguard economic growth. We have the asset and the resources to tackle the problems.
I welcome the Minister to the House. We all await his contribution with interest.
I heard Senator Quill's reference to Éamon de Valera. It reminded me of the story my late father used to tell of how one day, as he travelled around the countryside on business, he went into a house as they were about to say the Rosary. For those who do not know what that means, it was a practice in rural Ireland at one time. The lady of the house said, "Sit down there young fellah, we will say a decade of the Rosary for Éamon de Valera and the draining of the Shannon".
There have been problems with the River Shannon for decades and we should address them immediately. The list of agencies making use of the river is mind boggling. The ESB plays ducks and drakes with the water, Bord na Móna runs channels out of it, which then go back in, the Office of Public Works tells us that it looks after developments on its banks and Dúchas seems to have an over-riding role which I cannot identify. There are 33 other authorities, State agencies, local authorities, semi-autonomous bodies, interested groups and parties which are all dipping in and out of the river. No wonder it is in a mess.
Looking at the television news over Christmas I could not help but reflect on the reaction of the people of the midlands when in one part they were looking at their houses being washed away and their lands being flooded and in another they were listening to economists saying that the Celtic tiger was roaring loudly and would continue to do so. The chances are that if the tiger had appeared anywhere near the River Shannon basin over the past few months, it would have drowned. The question is which agency would have been responsible for it? Would it have been the ESB, Bord na Móna, Dúchas, the local authority or would any body have been responsible? Who would have thrown a lifebelt to the Celtic tiger in the middle of the River Shannon over Christmas? That is the kernel of this debate.
Obviously all of us welcome the initiative by our colleagues on the other side of the House to bring forward the Bill. I was one of the people who was strongly supportive of our former colleagues, Deputies O'Kennedy and Daly who, as Members of this House, introduced the 1997 Bill. I will not say that I have changed my mind to any great degree, but I believe that unless there is some formal statutory body with real teeth, as Senator Quill stated, this problem will continue to occur.
The reason I am not totally convinced about the establishment of a Shannon River Council is that I remember the Shannon River Forum. I do not want my remarks to be interpreted as meaning that I am against the establishment of a Shannon river council but the purpose of the debate is to explore the various options to do something quickly because of what happened recently. It is possible that some of the people listening to the debate were members of that forum which used meet in Athlone. Senator Jackman referred to it. My mother, who was a member of Leitrim County Council, was the Leitrim delegate to it and she went to it regularly. Therefore, I was well informed of what went on. All the constituent bodies were involved in that forum – the farming interests, local residents and every agency which had anything to do with the River Shannon. However, the forum did not address or find solutions to the problems which were as real then as they are now.
There must be some form of rationalisation. The buck must stop with someone, be it with the Minister, a Shannon river council or some other vehicle. Surely even the Minister will agree that the present ramshackle arrangement is intolerable and cannot be sustainable in the medium to long term.
I express solidarity with those who have suffered grievously and continue to suffer in the River Shannon basin area and I do not wish to diminish what for them is a matter of life and death, of putting bread on their tables and looking after their families. However, I am also concerned about another aspect of this debate, that is, the impact of continuing pollution on fish stocks because of the perspective which I bring to it from living in the upper River Shannon where there are not the same flooding problems. This pollution is having a horrendous effect on the local economies of the upper River Shannon. For decades we have been fortunate in that the lakes and rivers of the upper River Shannon have been able to provide excellent fishing facilities, mainly for the traditional cross-channel angler.
As a young child, sometimes it felt like I was walking down Piccadilly, Manchester or Main Street, Blackburn, rather than Main Street, Drumshanbo, because of the variety of accents from May to September. There were significant numbers of anglers, not just handfuls. For many years they made a real contribution to the local economy, especially in an area like mid-Leitrim and north Roscommon where there is no basic industry infrastructure as the mines are now closed. The cry from that particular sector is that there must be a real attempt to tackle pollution because the fish stocks, which were in decline already from Roosky northward – the same may be true also from Roosky southwards but I have hard evidence only of the former – have been declining significantly over the past decade.
I received a letter from Mr. Geoff Cooper, one of the people involved in angling in the Roosky area. He is not an Irish national, but he is proud to be a resident of Ireland. He is interested in the development and promotion of fishing. He lives in Tarmonbarry. I referred to him before in a debate in this House at which the then Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Woods, was present. Recently Mr. Cooper wrote to me regarding the debate on the publication of a report by the body which is charged with addressing pollution in Lough Derg and Lough Ree particularly, and he stated:
I think maybe we stirred up a can of worms which at the end of the day couldn't be ignored. The lazy, the ignorant and the incompetent . . . in the end have had to stand up and be counted. [Mr. Cooper refers to the agencies I mentioned earlier.] Perhaps now, if the pressure is maintained we can look forward to a general upturn in the quality of our waters.
. . . during the winter I do a one man angling roadshow for a holiday company and this year I have met hundreds of very disgruntled anglers. Many of them attended my shows [in the UK] just to put the point over that after several bad trips to Ireland they would not return. Last November I was at a promotion for a fishing tackle company and spent some considerable time in the company of Des Taylor who is a very famous angler. [He appears regularly on television and has a great deal of influence in the angling fraternity in the UK.] He told me that himself and Bob Nudd who is currently the world angling champion came to Ireland along with a film crew to shoot some promotional film for another holiday company. The results were so bad that they returned to England with no film footage whatsoever. If guys like them can't catch what chance has the average angler got[?]
That puts in perspective the real difficulties which are being faced by those involved in another aspect of the debate. As I said, I do not wish to diminish the real problems which the agriculture sector faces. I am attempting to add another dimension to the call to put in place some form of regulatory authority or an individual, be he the Minister or someone who he discharges, to take responsibility to rationalise what is obviously an unacceptable situation.
If fish stocks continue to decline in the upper River Shannon region, there will be wholesale closures of bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels simply because the service providers will have no business to operate. If that happens, one can say goodbye to rural Ireland because there is nothing else for it. If the national development plan pans out over then next six years there might be something in the pipeline but, as the old saying goes, live horse and get grass. There is a viable coarse fishing industry which is oriented towards the River Shannon not just because of the river itself but because of its tributaries and lakes. As Senator Quill correctly stated, it is the most beautiful part of Ireland, including the part northward from the midlands and not just Kerry. If one goes north of a line from Dublin to Galway, it is definitely much nicer than if one goes south but that is a purely biased, parochial opinion.
The Senator was fond of Cork.
I am still fond of Cork, particularly west Cork from where my wife comes.
In the House one would not want to limit oneself.
I am beginning to get a little concerned, a Chathaoirligh. May I appeal to the Chair to help me?
Senator Mooney, your time is up.
I hope the news will not only be good, but practical, effective and immediate.
I welcome the Bill and the approach being adopted by both sides of the House. There has been great co-operation and spirit throughout the House, and a great welcome from all sides for the Bill. We are conscious of course that a similar Bill was introduced here in 1997 by the then Senators O'Kennedy and Daly. There was a good spirit of co-operation then, as is evident from the debates that took place in this House on 26 March and 1 May that year. My colleague, Senator Taylor-Quinn, reminded me of them earlier.
I was very interested in some of the comments of Senator Mooney and I liked the folksy way he told the story of the former President de Valera, the draining of the Shannon and the ongoing programme which, sadly, never existed but to which lip-service was often paid. I agree that the Shannon and all the counties touching on it are beautiful, but the Senator would not want to neglect the beauty of Cork, Kerry or the rest of the south. I think he was simply a bit flippant.
The Senator was correct, however, in what he said about the tourism infrastructure. If there is further damage to the Shannon, including its catchment basin and tributaries, it will wipe out many people who are making a good living from tourism. One has to feel in particular for people who are involved in the bed and breakfast business throughout the region. I am sure the enhancement and improvement of the Shannon meets with everyone's wishes, including every Member of this House.
There are many important sections in the Bill. Section 6(1) states:
The functions of the Council shall be to propose policies and priorities for the enhancement of the water quality of the Shannon River and its catchment basin and for the protection and enhancement of the environment and of the natural habitats of bird life and fish life in that region.
We should be concerned for flora and fauna, wildlife habitats and everything else belonging to nature which needs protection in that region. Sadly Lough Derg and Lough Ree have had particular difficulties. In fact, many of the 11 lakes on the Shannon and its tributaries have suffered from pollution to varying degrees. It is sad this has occurred to such a tremendous resource like the Shannon which is a truly great waterway and a prime national asset. The Shannon deserves our every effort to protect and enhance it.
Section 7(1) – another key part of the Bill – states:
The Council shall as soon as may be and not later than one year from the commencement of this section and after consultation with public authorities, other organisations and persons connected with and having an interest in the Shannon Catchment prepare a Water Management and Pollution Control Plan, in this Act referred to as "the Plan", and shall transmit a copy of the Plan to the Minister and each other person as may be prescribed.
That section is vital because the Shannon has suffered too many years of neglect.
Senator Mooney is correct in highlighting the beauty of the area and I am always stuck by the beauty of the Shannon at Clonmacnoise. It has special relevance for me, not just because it is an internationally renowned monastic shrine, but also because many Coghlans are buried in a graveyard there. Apparently, at one stage the Coghlans were driven west across the Shannon when they were dispossessed of their lands in Offaly.
They got the lands back again, though.
I was wondering if I could go back there and stake a claim. I will discuss that matter with the Senator afterwards. Many organ isations are concerned with the pollution of the Shannon. One of the greatest recent problems has been the increased levels of water pollution in various areas along the Shannon. The independence of the Shannon river council will be important in tackling these matters. It will set the policies and priorities for enhancing the water quality of this great river, thus protecting its natural wildlife habitats.
Due to repeated annual flooding, recommendations are urgently required to control the level of the waterway and its tributaries. Farmers and other householders in many areas along the Shannon are suffering great hardship from the severe losses caused each year by flooding, which they cannot afford. The council must look into this problem.
I am glad the Government is facilitating the Bill. At the opening of the debate I listened with great intent to Senator Finneran whose contribution I welcome. I gather that the Government will table amendments to the Bill next week and that the legislation can thus be improved upon and, please God, greatly strengthened. I also listened with great interest to the contribution by Senator O'Toole, that intrepid mariner. I remember seeing a photograph of him aboard his cruiser on the Shannon. It is great to see that Members of this House appreciate so much the natural beauty of the river and its relaxing and restorative qualities. Maybe we should all spend more time there.
Do not say that at election time.
It is true for the Senator. Senator O'Toole is a man of many parts and a man for all seasons. We must strengthen the Bill in order to find ways of providing for the effective implementation of any directives the council, in its wisdom, might issue. As many speakers have said, the Shannon is an outstanding tourist attraction and proper facilities must be put in place to ensure that pleasure boats do not contribute to the pollution of the river.
The Office of Public Works and the ESB have a duty to discharge their responsibilities regarding the Shannon. I would also like angling clubs and farming organisations to become fully involved. I compliment the IFA for its past involvement in the care of the river. We must ensure, however, that there is no overlapping between the various agencies concerned. The management of the river to the most satisfactory level must be the goal because in the past it has been unsatisfactory.
Most Bills come before the House with some faults and we are determined, on both sides of the House, to make sure they are improved. Whatever this Bill's faults, however, it is a stumble in the right direction and we cannot do any wrong. I am pleased with what I have heard. I am excited about the level of co-operation and I have no doubt that, given the goodwill that seems to exist, the Bill will be improved upon and strengthened.
Is cúis áthais dom a bheith ar ais anseo chun labhairt ar an mBille Príobháideach seo. Déanaim comhgháirdeachas leis na baill as ucht an chomhoibriú uathu chun an Bille a phlé. Tá mé anseo in ionad mo chomhleacaí ón Rialtas, an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Ó Cuilinn, atá tinn faoi láthair agus tá mé ag súil go mbeidh sé ar ais arís i gcionn tamaill bhig.
I thank and congratulate everyone involved in bringing forward this Bill. I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Cullen, who is indisposed. We wish him a speedy recovery. I thank Senators for their collective contributions to reintroducing the Shannon River Council Bill, 1998.
On many occasions, the question of the establishment of a statutory body with executive powers to manage the Shannon catchment has been raised. This proposal has always been rejected by successive Governments, on the basis that it is considered unnecessary. Indeed, implementing such a proposal would require major legislative changes.
The Bill, as introduced, gives rise to a wide range of issues affecting the responsibilities of many of my Government colleagues, their Departments and agencies and bodies under the aegis of these Departments, including the Department of the Environment and Local Government, Dúchas, the Department of Public Enterprise, Bord na Móna, the ESB, the Environmental Protection Agency and many others. In addition, Senators may be aware that a draft EU directive has been under consideration which would establish a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. Any statutory authority for the River Shannon would have to be in harmony with the measures of that directive when it becomes European Union law.
In March 1989, when I was Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, I established the River Shannon Forum to bring together all the organisations connected with the Shannon River and give them an opportunity to express their view, to co-ordinate the use of the resources of this great river and to ensure that a consensus was arrived at on the most efficient management of these resources. That forum held its first meeting on 21 March 1989 which was attended by 45 representatives. It met on average six times per annum, until responsibility for the River Shannon was removed from the Office of Public Works by the creation of the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, including Dúchas, by the previous Government. This was a retrograde decision, the real victims of which are the unfortunate people who live under constant pressure from flooding in the River Shannon catchment.
With regard to the flooding problems on the River Shannon, particularly the recent serious flooding, I am well aware of how traumatic flooding of this magnitude can be. I take this opportunity to express again our deepest concern to all those affected. The Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, and I and all our colleagues are aware of all these terrible flooding problems, as the Shannon River is the natural boundary of our constituencies.
It must also be borne in mind that the recent flooding in the Shannon basin was the worst for over 50 years, with rainfall for the month of December 1999 being twice the normal average. It is also a fact that much of the area in question floods on an annual basis. This poses great hardship for the householders and many small farmers in the catchment.
There has been a consensus over a considerable period that capital works to relieve flooding of the Shannon are not viable. There is no evidence to suggest this position has changed. The most recent of many reports on the Shannon, commissioned by the Irish Farmers Association and carried out by consultants Delap & Waller, concluded there were no obvious localised engineering works apparent to them which, if carried out, would significantly improve the regime of this powerful river.
I am conscious of the particular problems in the mid-part of the Shannon. The Office of Public Works has already been in contact with Westmeath, Roscommon and Galway County Councils in this regard. If anybody has any proposals or suggestions on how the situation between Meelick, in south-east Galway, and Athlone might be alleviated, the Commissioners of Public Works will be available to consider these proposals or offer any other advice that might be appropriate.
The Office of Public Works is actively preparing flood relief schemes at Kilkenny, Carlow, Clonmel and other areas which have been affected by flood events in recent years. The key element has been to determine local wishes through the local authorities and local groups, so as to achieve a balance between flood relief and local priorities. As the House may know, a local interest group is very active in south Galway. The arterial drainage maintenance on the rivers where we have completed schemes yields a benefit by way of flood relief. I draw the attention of the House to the report on the arterial drainage maintenance programme published last year, which confirms its benefits throughout the country.
While I welcome the initiatives of Senators in introducing this Bill, the sections referring to the functions of the council in the area of water quality, regulation and control of pollution are reflected in the draft European Union directive.
I realise the serious difficulties encountered over the years by people in the River Shannon catchment. I have listened with great interest to the very sincere contributions by Members of all parties tonight. Many similar sentiments have been expressed by our predecessors in both Houses of the Oireachtas over the past eight dec ades, yet nothing really positive has happened on this issue.
I want to progress this matter. I have observed the all-party support for this Bill tonight. Members will realise the Shannon is intertwined in the affairs of some of our vital semi-State agencies, especially the ESB and Bord na Móna. On the basis of the unanimity expressed here, I am prepared, on behalf of the Government, to refer this Bill to the Oireachtas Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport for further and detailed examination, with a view to making clear recommendations to Government on the exact method of bringing this very important matter to finality. I trust this decision by me, on behalf of the Government, is to the satisfaction of the House.
Thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for allowing us extra time to speak on this very important Bill. I wholeheartedly support the Bill, as have Members on both sides of the House. The Minister of State's contribution was very constructive. However, I was amazed by some of what he told us, particularly the major problems he outlined.
The hardship endured by people should be put on the record. I live many miles from the area concerned but I see media reports every year about the difficulties encountered by people living near the Shannon. That hardship results in a poor quality of life. Every effort should be made to address this and no stone should be left unturned. If consultants have stated there is no way around this problem, we must look at it again. Given modern technology and the different methods of land drainage, sluice gates, monitoring of water flow and so on, we should be able to look, with consultants, at lowering the basin and other approaches to this real problem.
The Minister referred to the situation in Clonmel. We tackled that difficulty with the co-operation of the county council and the backing of the Department and the Government. That problem is not solved, but the Shannon problem is much bigger than ours. If the Shannon problem is not sorted, the flooding difficulties experienced in many areas of the country will not be solved for generations to come. Despite the difficulties stated by the Minister of State, we must pursue this if farming and tourism are to continue in that part of the country. People should not have to endure such hardship.
This Bill has received tremendous support throughout the country and from Oireachtas Members and the farming organisations, in particular. Queries in this regard have been brought to our notice, which the Minister of State did not address tonight. These issues include the funding allocation for the maintenance of the river channels and the setting up of an adequate annual budget to carry out maintenance on the main stream of the River Shannon as a drainage channel. This was one of the aspects raised by the farming organisations. Another important issue is the urgent need for financial assistance targeted at farmers who have suffered losses due to flood ing. It is impossible to try to farm land and look after animals if land is waterlogged as these people whose lands were flooded in December 1999 and January 2000 have had to do.
This Government, as we hear daily on the national airwaves, is awash with money. Each day we hear of the Celtic tiger and the bonanza. If we have any charity in our hearts, we must be serious about looking after those people. I implore the Minister to go back to his Government colleagues and get them to try to look after these people. As we all know, farming, as an industry, has gone through one of its most difficult periods. People are leaving the land in droves. Let us try to halt that and do something in the first few months of this new millennium.
I agree with most of the sentiments expressed this evening. I come from County Westmeath. As we all know, the Shannon touches 13 of the 26 counties. It is of the utmost importance that this problem is addressed once and for all. I thank Senators for bringing this matter to the House this evening. Originally, the former Senator, Deputy Daly, who served as Minister with eight different portfolios, brought this splendid Bill before the House.
I thank Senator Finneran who, with myself and the assistant Government Whip, Senator Moylan, has worked tirelessly over the past two weeks to try to enhance this Bill and to see what can be done about the dreadful position in which people along the banks of the Shannon find themselves. We could talk at length about the hardship faced by these people but nobody in this House knows what it is like to have a flooded holding, to have one's house flooded or to see lives in danger as a result of continuous flooding.
All Governments until now have been putting this matter on the long finger. It is good to see a Minister from the west, Deputy Treacy, make a proposal for our consideration. This House decided on today's Order of Business to take this Bill again next week during Private Members' time. Many Senators wish to make contributions and I want to afford them the opportunity to do so.
The problem is so serious that something has to be done. At the behest of Senator Finneran and Senator Moylan I met with people in the area last Sunday evening. They handed me a report commissioned in 1986 for the IWAI which was done by John Weaving. It contained proposals which would eliminate 30% to 40% of the flooding problem in the Shannon catchment area and, I understand, not at enormous cost.
These proposals could be costed by the Minister's officials. I am only too pleased to let the Minister have this report to see what could be done – perhaps a five year plan from the people who are affected. We do not want any glossy statements from people who live far away, who work in large office buildings in cities and towns and who are not affected. This proposal, which could be implemented over five years, comes from the people. As Leader of the House, I will hand it to the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, and ask his officials to see what it would cost and to confirm whether, in their professional opinion, it would eliminate 30% to 40% of the flooding when water levels are high during November, December, January and February, in particular.
Debate adjourned.
When is it proposed to sit again?
At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.