2026-01-22

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to introduce the River Boyne Task Force Bill to the House. The Bill seeks to establish a committee of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly to serve as a River Boyne task force with the function of proposing and promoting policies and priorities for the protection and enhancement of the environment of the River Boyne and of its natural habitats and wildlife. While they are not in a position to be here I acknowledge the support of colleagues like Deputies Joanna Byrne and Ó Murchú who unfortunately cannot be here. Other local colleagues have expressed an interest in speaking on the Bill but may not be able to make it this evening for a variety of reasons, but that does not mean they are not committed to the principles of this particular Bill. I say that on the basis that this is the kind of initiative that should generate cross-party collaboration and support. We are all interested in the future of our river catchment areas and in improving the management and development of our environment. Rising in County Kildare, the River Boyne flows through the counties of Offaly, Meath and my home county of Louth. It is arguably the most historically significant river in the country as it winds its way through the landscape of Irish history and prehistory back as far as the first settlers in Ireland. The River Boyne is under serious pressure, not least in recent times when there were plans by a meat processing firm to discharge treated waste into a river where water quality is already threatened and biodiversity is at risk. That plan was thwarted by moves made by a public campaign and an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. The Bill, to give it its context, was inspired by my colleague and former County Meath councillor, Elaine McGinty, who is with us in the Gallery, along with representatives from local environmental groups who have dedicated themselves to the protection of the river. The Bill also has the support of my colleague, the mayor of Drogheda Councillor Michelle Hall and my colleague, Councillor Pio Smith. The Bill also takes its inspiration from my late friend and Louth Labour Party colleague James Lambe, a young man who passed away a short number of years ago. He was somebody who cared deeply about his community and about the river that all of us in Drogheda and in Louth and Meath cherish. This is part of his legacy. It was also inspired by the good work of groups like Save The Boyne and the Boyne Rivers Trust and representatives of those are with us as well. Much of the information I will put on the record in this debate and the data I will rely on comes from their valuable work on the ground and the research they have undertaken in recent years. As I have said, the Bill seeks to establish a committee of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly to serve as a River Boyne task force with the function of proposing and promoting policies and priorities for the protection and enhancement of the environment of the River Boyne and of its natural habitats and wildlife. Should the Bill be enacted, the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly will establish a special committee to be known as the River Boyne task force. The task force will be made up members from each of the four councils in Kildare, Louth, Meath and Offaly and appointed members who have an interest or expertise in the protection and sustainable development of the river. The functions of the task force will be to propose and promote policies and priorities for the protection and enhancement of the environment of the Boyne catchment and of its wildlife and natural habitats. It will co-ordinate, promote and support strategic planning and sustainable development around the Boyne catchment and make recommendations to regulate and control pollution in and around the catchment. It will also set out a vision for the Boyne catchment as a public amenity for current and future generations and ensure the river’s environmental sustainability, conserving its habitats and wildlife and monitoring the impact of climate change on the river. It will seek to identify the areas in and around the Boyne catchment where detailed proposals and plans for renewal, preservation, conservation, restoration and development or redevelopment would be appropriate and include proposals relating to public access and public amenities including public transport and pedestrian access to the Boyne catchment and its environs. Our river belongs to all of us. For the purpose of this Bill the Boyne catchment is defined as: the River Boyne from its source at Trinity Well in the townland of Demesne and County of Kildare to an imaginary line drawn from The Haven in the townland of Baltray and County of Louth to Mornington Point in the townland of Mornington and County of Meath ... It also includes all tributary rivers and streams and connected lakes and ponds and includes the two canals, namely, the Lower and Upper Boyne Navigations. Additional tasks the task force would take on include to arrange training, research or testing activities in relation to any of its functions, to promote public interest in, respect for, access to and enjoyment of the Boyne catchment and to co-ordinate the activities of public bodies and other organisations and persons in connection with the protection and enhancement of the environment of the Boyne catchment. In performing its functions the task force must act in a manner that achieves and promotes compliance with the requirements of both the habitats directive and the birds directive. The Bill envisages the task force would consult persons and organisations who are, or are representatives of, users of the Boyne catchment or the occupiers of lands in its neighbourhood. It must establish and maintain appropriate links with persons and organisations concerned with the management of the Boyne or any part of it with the aim of improved co-ordination in the formulation and execution of policies. These are the technical elements of the main provisions of this Bill and what it seeks to achieve. This Bill can be something of a template or framework for the better management of all our precious river systems across the country. We know our water systems are under serious pressure and serious threat. One of the main problems we have with the management of our precious river systems is the severe lack of co-ordination on their management and protection. When a variety of bodies are responsible, nobody is responsible and therein lies the risk. The River Boyne is of enormous historical and cultural importance. It passes through the ancient towns and landscapes of Trim, Trim Castle, the Hill of Tara, Navan, the Hill of Slane and the medieval town of Drogheda, which is my hometown. The Boyne is also home to one of the world’s most important prehistoric landscapes, namely, the UNESCO world heritage site megalithic monuments of Brú na Bóinne. The importance of the Boyne Valley and its many sites that have yet to be studied archaeologically is writ large in the commitment made, after many years of campaigning by me and others, for the State to buy Dowth Hall and the demesne around it. That was something I campaigned on for many years and that was a really important commitment by the previous Government. It was a recognition of the importance of that area and the need to protect the environment and have it be enjoyed by future generations. One of the key reasons the State acquired that estate was the rather unique biodiversity that was evident at those sites. The sites on the estate have been hardly touched by modern agricultural methods. It is quite a perfect site and something to be seen and enjoyed. We look forward to learning more over the next period about the Department’s plans for that site. The course of the river charts not only a line on a map but a course through the history of this island. Apart from its important cultural heritage, it is also internationally recognised for its environmental value. The importance of the river is recognised at a European level by its designation as a special area of conservation under the habitats directive and as an SPA under the birds directive. The catchment supports five strictly protected species and habitats, including otters, Atlantic salmon, river lamprey, alluvial woodlands and alkaline fens. Despite these layers of protections that have been transposed into Irish law, the Boyne has been, quite frankly, under attack, and while local environmental groups have done some wonderful work in protecting the river and raising awareness of the threats to it, this work needs to be taken more seriously by putting more considered statutory frameworks in place for the protection of our ancient river. We need a different and improved approach. We need better collaboration and co-ordination and for all that to be placed on a statutory footing. The river has the capacity to deal with a certain amount of human-generated pollutants but it is clear it is reaching its limits in that regard and has indeed exceeded them. The river has been cleaning up our mess for far too long. Under the water framework directive Ireland has agreed to ensure all its waters will be of high or good ecological status by 2027 but that is going to be practically impossible. As things stand Ireland is falling well short of this target. The Boyne catchment is no exception with many water bodies failing to achieve an adequate ecological status in recent years and I am putting that diplomatically. Things are getting worse, not better. The river is under attack from a variety of sources, including domestic wastewater, peat, urban wastewater, urban run-off industry, mines and quarries, to name a few. The elephant in the room is the objective fact that certain agricultural processes are endangering the health of our river too. I am extremely concerned about the decision by the State to seek and secure another exemption to the nitrates directive. I will return to that in my response to the Minister's comments on the Bill later. Some welcome steps are being taken. Teagasc, for example, has developed an action plan for better farming for water in the Boyne catchment area, which it is hoped will make farmers better neighbours of our water courses and better custodians of the environment. I hope that plan will deliver positive results but quite frankly I am sceptical and history shows why I should be. A major flashpoint in threats to the river came in 2021, when Dawn Meats sought planning permission from Meath County Council to construct a 7.2 km pipeline from its Slane beef abattoir to discharge treated wastewater into the River Boyne. The depth of feeling among locals living along the river became evident when hundreds of objections were submitted in opposition to the plans, a campaign which my colleague in Meath East, Deputy O'Rourke, who is with us this evening and will contribute on the Bill, was active in supporting. Despite those objections, in April 2022 Meath County Council granted permission for the proposal but the decision was immediately appealed to An Bord Pleanála by several parties. An Bord Pleanála saw sense. It saw the wisdom in the case made against the proposal by the Save the Boyne group and others and the appeal was won. When that welcome decision was made, the Save the Boyne group made a statement I wholly endorse, which the Bill seeks to underpin. The group said the Boyne had significant meaning to all the people who share its shores and waterways, from canoes to anglers, photographers and those simply strolling along its banks. In other words, the river belongs to all of us. The group said the river has a shared history and meaning for all those who recognise its enormous value. The latest water quality report from the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, measured water quality over a five-year period from 2019 to 2024 and was published in 2025. When measured against the previous five-year report for 2016 to 2021, this report showed the risk the River Boyne network is under. Between 2019 and 2024, 52% of our river water bodies were in unsatisfactory ecological status. This reflects a 2% decline in 79 water bodies since the 2016 to 2021 report. The river supports a population of approximately 200,000 people. It drains an area of almost 2,700 sq km, with Drogheda as its greatest urban centre. I hope in the course of this and my later contribution, we will have shown the river's importance and the threats it faces now and in the future. I am firmly of the belief that the river's ongoing preservation, management and protection needs to be put on a firmer footing. We need to take a keener legislative interest in how we do that. The establishment of a task force on a statutory basis with the protection of the river as its focus will be a vital tool in defending the river and protecting this vital amenity for future generations. I will not overstate the importance of this intervention or innovation but it can make a contribution. This is why I am proposing this Bill and I urge everyone in the House to support its passage. I commend the Bill to the House.

I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. I acknowledge the Bill brought forward by Deputy Nash. The principal purpose of the Bill, as outlined in the explanatory memorandum, is to establish a new body, within the current local and regional government framework with specific responsibilities for the River Boyne and its catchment area. However, after careful consideration, the Government has decided it will oppose this Bill. Regarding the public interest, the Bill, if enacted, would be counterproductive to the work already being undertaken or planned for the River Boyne and its catchment. It would divert existing resources and personnel from addressing other water quality and local government issues in the Boyne catchment and would add an additional layer of administration and bureaucracy for the bodies and agencies that currently operate in the catchment. While I welcome and acknowledge the commitment and ambition to protect the River Boyne, the Government has already ensured mechanisms are in place that will accomplish much of what is proposed under the proposed Bill. Since this Bill was put on the Order Paper, a new and revised river basin management plan, the Water Action Plan 2024, has been launched and is currently being implemented through a range of public authorities overseen by the programme delivery office in the Department. The water action plan is the principal means through which we are addressing our water quality. Building on the work of previous cycles, and by incorporating the integrated catchment management approach, the plan sets out the necessary environmental objectives and lays out the roadmap through which we will work to restore and protect our water bodies at a national level up to 2027. The water action plan has an increased level of ambition, offers multiple benefits for nature and biodiversity and offers role clarity and collaborative implementation for the many implementing bodies at national, regional and catchment level that play a vital role in its delivery. Targeting the right measure in the right place is the main approach adopted under the plan, and the results of the recent EPA water quality report show that this approach is working in targeted areas and in particular in the priority areas for action that have been selected under the plan for targeted measures. Several priority areas for action are being administered by the local authority waters programme, LAWPRO, and the relevant local authorities with the aim of restoring water quality in the Boyne catchment. The work being undertaken by LAWPRO in the Boyne catchment alone is focused on 33 water bodies across five priority areas for action. It involves LAWPRO carrying out local catchment assessments to identify pressures on water quality and working with implementing bodies to resolve these issues. Catchment management work plans are a new initiative under the water action plan that have being developed and implemented in conjunction with LAWPRO, and are being developed for each of the 46 catchments. The purpose of the catchment management work plans will be to set out the actions identified by implementing bodies required for water bodies and to share information on catchment characteristics, current water quality issues and pressures, thereby aiding water quality at a catchment level. In addition to the national river basin management plan, local authorities are required to prepare their own local authority water action plans. LAWPRO is working with the EPA and the programme delivery office in the Department to produce a template for all local authorities from which they will develop a dedicated local plan for water quality. The template is due to be launched in 2026, will include specific actions assigned to each local authority for the protection and restoration of water quality and will specify reporting requirements and data flows from which to accurately report on the progress with their implementation. The Department recently launched the sixth nitrates programme, with the accompanying good agricultural regulations having come into effect on 1 January this year. In recent years, the Department established the national agricultural inspection programme, which funds an additional 57 local authority inspectors with an aim of carrying out inspections of 4,500 farms per annum. These inspections are targeted where, using EPA information, there is a risk of impact on water quality. Up to three inspectors have been employed in Meath. Kildare has two sanctioned inspectors in addition to extra staff working on the programme, while Louth has one inspector and Offaly has two inspectors. In March 2024, the farming for water European innovation partnership, EIP, project was launched. This initiative is co-funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and is managed by LAWPRO in collaboration with other agencies. It is investing funding of €60 million over five years. The project aims to support farmers to improve water quality by promoting the adoption of innovative best practice in nutrient management and the application of nature-based solutions to reduce losses of phosphorous, nitrogen, sediment and pesticides from agricultural lands to water bodies. In terms of the physical health of natural water bodies, a new national hydromorphology programme has been established with the long-term vision of mitigating the negative impact of past construction on rivers to restore their flow, form and function. Inland Fisheries Ireland, with co-funding from the Department, has launched the national barrier mitigation programme, which will work to restore the natural flow of waterways through the removal of legacy barriers and weirs. The Bill proposes carrying out works under the functions of the task force that may involve the dredging, straightening, deepening or widening of waterways to improve navigation of the Boyne catchment. Such activities could impact the natural flow of the Boyne catchment’s waterways and have unintended consequences that could negatively impact the hydromorphological flow and impede the work that is being undertaken by the national barrier mitigation programme. In all, under the Department’s water quality capital programme, €41.5 million has been committed in 2026 to projects such as the farming for water EIP project, the national barrier mitigation programme and numerous other beneficial projects. Another aspect that must be examined is the proposal in the Bill to remove the functions assigned under the 2014 European Union (Water Policy) Regulations to both the water advisory committee and local authorities. The role of the water policy advisory committee within the Boyne catchment is an important element as it works at the highest level in the governance structures working to improve our water quality. The functions of the committee include advising on policy in relation to the preparation of river basin management plans, the preparation of a programme of measures to achieve environmental objectives and promoting appropriate activities necessary to support achieving the objectives of the water framework directive. The water policy advisory committee is also supported by other important bodies such as the national co-ordination and management committee, which is chaired by the Department and includes the local authority chairs of the regional management committees, LAWPRO and the EPA, and works as the programme management committee for the water action plan. The regional management committees and regional operational committees were established as forums where local authorities, agencies and other implementing bodies under the water action plan could highlight and overcome operational challenges at a regional and local level, and if required, raise issues and barriers to water framework directive implementation with the high-level governance structures for resolution. These governance structures work towards addressing the impacts on our water quality at a national, local and cross-sectoral level and have brought a new strategic and leadership focus on addressing the blockages towards effective implementation and resolution of the issues. The proposed Bill also specifies the functions assigned by or under the European Communities (Water Policy) Regulations 2003 to local authorities shall, in relation to the Boyne catchment, be performed on behalf of the relevant local authorities by the task force. The regulations also place increased obligations on local authorities by assigning responsibility to them for regional co-ordination through LAWPRO as the local authority shared service, public participation and support to the Minister and the EPA in the development and implementation of water quality measures. Funded by the Department, LAWPRO co-ordinates efforts among local authorities to achieve good or high water quality in our water bodies. The ongoing work of LAWPRO will be key in the current third cycle, and in particular the catchment work it is prioritising in 343 of the priority areas for action that are outlined in the water action plan. I believe the proposed Bill would be unintentionally counterproductive to the significant work being carried out at a national, regional and local level, led by local authorities. From a local government perspective, the Bill proposes a number of provisions that appear to overlap with provisions in existing legislation. Regional assemblies already have a range of co-ordinating functions under legislation, including in relation to research and gathering information. Regional assemblies may also appoint their own committees. Furthermore, it is not clear what interaction is envisaged between the existing statutory strategic planning committees of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly and the proposed task force, which would have functions in relation to planning. Section 51 of the Local Government Act 2001 empowers local authorities to establish, by resolution of the elected members, one or more committees "to consider matters connected with the functions of the authority". Section 52 of the Act provides that if two or more local authorities wish to establish a joint committee or committees, they may do so. The proposals in the Bill would therefore appear to remove discretion and choice in the establishment of a particular committee from the regional assembly and possibly from the relevant local authorities as well. The Bill proposes to remove functions from local authorities and to transfer them to the task force. It is not clear why the proposed task force is considered to be better placed to perform these functions than the local authorities already performing them. It is also not clear how the task force’s decisions would be implemented, nor what associated resourcing would be needed to support the body or whether this would be more cost-effective than existing arrangements. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne, I reiterate that significant progress is being made and the funding, projects and initiatives I have outlined show this Government is committed to addressing problems with water quality at catchment level. These will benefit not only the Boyne catchment and surrounding areas but all of our nation’s rivers, lakes and waterways. Water quality measures are being implemented in the Boyne catchment, and the Bill would add an additional layer of supervision for these measures with limited, if any, practical benefit. The loss of the contribution of established governance structures such as the water policy advisory committee and LAWPRO to the work being undertaken in the Boyne catchment cannot be underestimated and may have the unintended consequence of isolating the catchment from water quality developments being made at the national level. The water action plan governance structures are in place to deal with the water functions outlined in the Bill, and the co-ordination and engagement is already ongoing with the development of both the Boyne catchment community fora and catchment management work plan, which will form the foundation for water quality action and improvements going forward. As stated, after careful consideration, the Government has decided it will oppose this Bill as it would be counterproductive to the significant work already being undertaken in the River Boyne, given that many of the proposed elements of the Bill are already in place. The Bill would add an additional layer of administration for local authorities and the agencies and bodies that operate in the Boyne catchment. The Minister, Deputy Browne, would like to encourage those who have contributed to the proposed Bill to continue to engage fully with the structures and processes already put in place to manage and protect catchments such as the Boyne. As mentioned, I am taking this debate on his behalf and I look forward to hearing the contributions to the debate.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the River Boyne Task Force Bill. I thank Deputy Nash and the Labour Party for bringing it forward. I am sorry I did not speak after Deputy Nash, because I was enthusiastic at that stage. I am now coming after the Minister of State and he has put us on a downer.

I am giving you a lot more to work with.

It is an important piece of legislation and it deals with one of our greatest national and natural resources, the River Boyne. It relates to the Save the Boyne campaign and the effort to reject the proposal from Dawn Meats to emit waste into the Boyne. That campaign was successful and I was happy, along with Sinn Féin colleagues, to support that effort and to play our part. However, the real credit, as anyone who was a part of it will know, goes to the activists and volunteers in the community, in the Save the Boyne campaign and elsewhere. I know there are others but people will not mind me singling out for special mention Mog Downey and Tommy Martin of the Save the Boyne campaign for their efforts, as well as the local angling clubs and the local community. This was quite unusual. All of us as public representatives deal with controversial planning. I have a number of such cases ongoing at the minute throughout the Meath East constituency, but very rarely are they like this. This was an organic response from the community, but wider than that, in response to the proposal because of the want to protect the environment and the River Boyne, and in recognition of the incredible importance, on so many levels, of the Boyne, as well as an appreciation of it. From a political perspective, not to single anyone out, there was the involvement of the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, the Green Party, Sinn Féin, some Independents and the then Councillor Gillian Toole, a party colleague of the Minister of State. I have to say, I hope she does not oppose this proposal next Wednesday because it is a very positive one. There was also the former Councillor McGinty, who is joining us in the Gallery, and I will make special mention of Slane-based local area representative Peter Whelan, who really put his shoulder behind the wheel and put a big effort in. He deserves a lot of credit and maith sibh ar fad. The campaign was organic; it was wonderful and it continues. Hopefully, it can be a central part of any river task force. The proposal being made in this Bill is not merely an administrative adjustment but a long overdue commitment to one of Ireland's most historic and ecologically vital landscapes. For too long the stewardship of the Boyne catchment has been fragmented, its potential under-realised and its pressures inadequately addressed. This Bill provides a coherent and integrated response that the river and our communities need. I heard what the Minister of State said earlier but I was not joking. There is an opportunity in this to harness what I have just mentioned. The Minister of State said there are bureaucratic and administrative forums already established and yet to be established but that does not change matters in my experience. The Government is going to oppose the Bill which is regrettable and a great pity. I urge the Minister of State and the Minister to look at what is positive in this Bill as well as at what the Government itself is proposing and try to marry the two. They should try to take the best of both. The departmental and official response has no life but there is an opportunity here with this Bill. From a Meath perspective, we are so proud of and connected to the Boyne, Brú na Bóinne, Oldbridge, the Battle of the Boyne site, Bective Abbey, Knowth and Dowth, Trim Castle and so on. There is so much there because it is the nature of rivers that life grows up around them. When I think of the development and the potential of it, as well as the need to protect it, there are so many cross-cutting responsibilities. We can take as an example the Boyne greenway and navigation restoration project. The TII has responsibility for it but there are so many agencies involved in that project that it has almost run aground and may run forever and ever. Meath County Council, Louth County Council and the Heritage Council are all involved but if we had a co-ordinating body like a River Boyne task force, it could just pull all of that together. It makes absolute sense to me. At the heart of Deputy Nash's Bill is the recognition that the Boyne is a single living entity. Its health from source to sea dictates the environmental, economic and social well-being of our entire region. The principle of the task force is that it mirrors that interconnectedness. It combines the roles of environmental guardian, strategic planner and community champion. It will protect habitats and wildlife, proposing policies that embed environmental sustainability and climate resilience into the very fabric of our planning. It will co-ordinate sustainable development, ensuring that progress does not come at the expense of our natural heritage. This dual mandate is important and moves us beyond the false choice between conservation and progress towards a model where they are mutually reinforcing. The task force's power to make concrete recommendations on pollution control and to design vital infrastructure works, from flood defences to public access points, shifts our approach from reactive to proactive. It provides a single accountable engine for improvement. Furthermore, by centralising the water policy functions currently dispersed across various committees and local authorities, it will replace complexity and overlap with clarity and purpose. This will streamline decision making and ensure the Boyne receives the specialised, focused attention it deserves. This proposal is about more than ecology and infrastructure. It is also about people. The functions to promote public interest, access and enjoyment speak to a profound understanding of the river as a public amenity. The Boyne is not just a waterway; it is our national heritage, a source of recreation, wellness and inspiration. By mandating consultation with users, landowners and local organisations, the task force ensures its work is rooted in the lived experience of those who know and love the river best. It fosters a spirit of shared custodianship. Some may question the need for another body, as the Minister of State did, but I would argue that this is not an addition to bureaucracy but a cure for bureaucratic paralysis. The Boyne catchment crosses multiple local authority boundaries. Its challenges, be they water quality, biodiversity loss, flooding or managing tourism, do not respect lines on a map. A lone authority cannot solve them and what has been missing is precisely this, a co-ordinating force with a strategic vision and the authority to drive integrated action. In mandating compliance with both the birds directive and the habitats directive, the Bill firmly anchors our national treasure within its European environmental commitments. It signals that our protection of the Boyne will be diligent, science-led and legally robust. The Bill presents us with a straight choice. We can continue with a piecemeal approach, allowing the pressures on the Boyne to mount, or we can embrace this co-ordinated strategy. The River Boyne task force offers a framework to heal its waters, protect its wildlife, unlock its sustainable potential and guarantee its enjoyment for many generations to come. I urge all Members to support the Bill and to take this decisive step forward towards a thriving future for the River Boyne and all who will depend on it. As I said earlier, we are experienced enough in relation to this. I ask the Government to please take on board what I said earlier. There is an opportunity here. The Government's position is clear. I would like it to withdraw its objections but, failing that, let us find a way forward to harness that tremendous potential and combine what is best in this Bill with what the Government and the Department have proposed. This is an incredibly important issue. The work is there to be done. There is a will and an interest and we should harness that. If we do not do so, it will be a shame on all of us. From an Opposition perspective, we are saying "Here it is; let's go and do it".

I am dealing with this on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. I thank Deputy Nash for introducing this Labour Party Bill. I also thank him and Deputy O'Rourke for their contributions to the debate this evening. While the Minister welcomes the genuine intentions of the Bill in attempting to address issues in the Boyne catchment, this Government is already implementing a comprehensive set of measures, policies and administrative structures that are contributing to addressing such issues, not just within the Boyne catchment but at a national level. Water is one of the most important natural resources. In so many ways it is central to our economy and way of life. It is essential for our tillage and livestock which ensures stable and high-quality food production. It also sustains our biodiversity and nature through unpolluted and healthy ecosystems, while clean and hygienic drinking water supplies ensure the health of our citizens. Managed effectively, water plays a key role in strengthening the resilience of our social, economic and environmental systems. The lesson that can be taken away from the most recent EPA report is that while we still need to do more to address problems of water quality, Ireland is ahead of many other European member states with regard to water quality. This Government is taking action to address the impacts on our water quality. The EPA water quality report highlighted several areas for improvement, including the necessity of improved data sharing and integration between the implementing bodies, water quality programmes and State agencies. The Bill as proposed would do the opposite by including an additional layer of administration and would isolate the catchment from the effective structures that are already in place. I spoke briefly earlier about some of the work that is being undertaken to help to address negative impacts on water in the Boyne catchment. By virtue of measures and initiatives currently in place through the 2024 water action plan, we are already undertaking many of the proposals outlined in the Bill to tackle the impacts on water quality. A dedicated programme delivery office was established in early 2025 with responsibility for co-ordinating the work of relevant national and local structures to drive the delivery of the plan and for reporting on progress with the implementation of the measures that will address the pressures on water quality. In addition, the programme delivery office is overseeing the development of catchment management plans through the local authorities water programme, LAWPRO. These work plans will outline the issues to be addressed and the roles and responsibilities of implementing bodies such as local authorities. The Boyne catchment has been selected as one of the pilot projects in which the new work plans are being developed and tested. Community stakeholders will also play a pivotal role in helping to address our water quality, particularly through the catchment community forums that are being introduced under the water action plan. These community forums are currently running as pilot projects in five catchments throughout the country, including the Boyne catchment. The Boyne catchment community forums will undertake many important tasks, including contributing to the development of the catchment management work plan for the catchment. The catchment community forums will ensure that local communities have a say regarding water quality in their catchments. I strongly encourage local community stakeholders to fully participate in this opportunity to help shape the future of their water environment. In addition, the Government is providing the necessary funding to upgrade our water infrastructure. Under the updated national development plan, Uisce Éireann will invest €11.7 billion up to 2030 to support the delivery of key strategic projects to deliver the additional water services capacity required for the new housing targets while prioritising public health and safeguarding the environment. The Government has already commenced future planning for the water quality sector that will be implemented into the next decade. Officials from my Department have begun the process of developing Ireland's fourth water basin management plan - the water action plan 2028 to 2033. With the indulgence of An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, if he allows me to continue, I will take an extra minute or two.

Is that okay, Deputy?

Yes.

The third water action plan has given us a solid blueprint for how we can build and evolve our ambition for the next cycle. The next water action plan will build upon the water I have outlined here today. We will again look to deliver on integrated multiple policy objectives for water, biodiversity and climate wherever possible. This integrated approach will deliver gains for our water quality and ensure that we can deliver the right measures in the right places. Public consultation on significant water management issues for the fourth water framework directive cycle was launched in December last. This public consultation is intended to help identify the issues that the fourth water action plan will seek to address and is an important opportunity for the public to express their views on what our priorities should be. As I highlighted, the Bill would impact the functions of local authorities and appears to overlap with provisions already in place through existing legislation without any clarity on how these proposals would bring added benefit to the Boyne catchment. I assure the public that the Government is working to address the issues highlighted here today and is fully committed to protecting water quality nationwide. I note the points that both Deputies have raised and they are issues the Department and Government will take on board, but we are opposing the Bill on the basis that we believe it could be counterproductive to what is an overall national policy, which will impact on the Boyne as well. We have made very good progress in the water sector in the last number of years. Additional funding has been provided to Uisce Éireann, governance has been strengthened, programmes have been put in place and measures have been implemented that will be targeted locally to deliver positive environment outcomes. After detailed and careful consideration, the Government has decided to oppose this Bill, as it would be counterproductive to the work that has already been undertaken in the River Boyne, as many of the proposals in the Bill are already in place. However, we take on board the points that have been raised by the Deputies. The Minister, Deputy Browne, encourages those who have contributed to the Bill to continue to engage fully with the structures and processes already put in place to manage and protect catchments, such as the Boyne.

I thank the Minister of State for his response even though it is not a response that I would agree with. It is disappointing that the Government has decided not to send the Bill for further examination on Committee Stage or delay its next reading, but to actively oppose it. I do not think that sends out the right the signal. It is very disappointing and in some ways upends a practice that has been in place for some time. I believe the arguments that the Bill makes merit and warrant further consideration. The Minister of State knows that I have the height of professional and personal respect and time for him. We have worked together over many years but, if he will excuse the pun, for a debate about water and a river, it has been a very dry debate. With respect to his officials who crafted the response, to me it appears to be an indefensible defence of a broken system. I believe the systems and frameworks that we have in place for managing our environment, protecting our rivers and bringing them up to the kinds of standard that citizens expect in order to protect our natural habitats, our biodiversity and our drinking water are far from where they should be. I note that the Minister of State referenced baseline comparators with other European states. We are really not comparing like with like. There are lots of European water systems under much more pressure than Irish water systems, but they are in heavily industrialised areas and in states that have only in relatively recent times joined the European Union and been subject to the water framework directive and so on. We have infringements on the water framework directive the length of our arm. We do not take the water framework directive seriously at all. I would argue that rather than the Bill's measures being counterproductive, their intention was to introduce greater collaboration and co-ordination between systems that in my view are already failing rivers like the River Boyne. We have Uisce Éireann. We have the EPA. We have the local authorities. We have port companies. We have Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, and a range of different bodies. We have had LAWPRO for a number of years, an organisation that has great potential to raise public awareness of our water bodies and what needs to be done to protect them. However, the system that is in place at the moment just does not work and the evidence of that is there from disimproved water quality. I read the data from the EPA and I do not want to single out one sector over another, but there is an elephant in the room. We know that the nitrates directive exemption has been extended again. Ireland was straining to make those arguments. In the context of the Boyne, agriculture was the top significant pressure impacting on the river - this is directly from the EPA - at 66% of the 87% at-risk water bodies within the Boyne catchment area and we are extending the nitrates directive again. I do not want to be gratuitously having a pop at any one sector over another, but it is probably time we had adult, grown-up debates in our national Parliament and stop pretending that we do not have issues that are going to cause us real problems, not just in the future, but are causing us real problems today. Quite frankly, no one here seems to have the balls - the cojones - to understand and accept that. Responsible politicians who show leadership have responsible, mature and informed conversations with the people they represent. Regarding many of the measures and plans put in place now by the agencies to better manage our water ways, we are doing those with one hand tied behind our back in some ways because if we do not improve how we deal with agricultural run-off and so on, then the problems are waterways are going to experience will be insurmountable and we may as well right off some of our rivers. For what? I am the first person in this Chamber to defend somebody's right to make a livelihood. I am the first person to understand the importance of economic sectors to our country, but we need a responsible discussion. We just seem incapable of having responsible discussions in this Chamber. That is a poor reflection on the Government and a poor reflection on us as public representatives. For example, the least the nitrates directive extension merited was an informed debate and we did not have that. We do not seem to have those debates in this Chamber any more. There are issues in this regard. Interestingly, the Minister of State indicated that since the Bill was published and introduced on First Stage in 2023, there have been some innovations. I hope I am not overstating matters or making excessive claims but we can see some of the measures proposed in the Bill mimicked in some ways in the community forum that was established. I do not know whether it is a coincidence, but one of the first community forums established was in the Boyne catchment area. I am happy to take credit for that. If that brings stakeholders together to improve our environment, it is good and I am happy to give it a fair wind. Let me return to the nitrates directive and the impact of intensive agriculture, especially the intensification of dairy over the past ten years or so. I do not want to single out any group. Farmers are the custodians of our landscape and environment and are working very hard to come up with innovative solutions to try to address the problems. They understand the threats posed to rivers. I was making a general point earlier to the effect that, regardless of where we stand on issues of considerable national importance like this, we should have a proper and respectful debate on them. The decision was taken and that was that. Off we went. People in agriculture have to be involved. Task forces see an intrinsic role for people working in agriculture, including farmers, in the management and stewardship of our environment. I acknowledge that organisations such as Boyne Rivers Trust do very important work in partnership with the farming community. I was very excited when the European Innovation Partnership came on board. This entails a very big investment in an important initiative. I hope our water quality can and will improve, but I remain sceptical because of the extension of the nitrates directive. I am disappointed we will not get the opportunity to examine the principles of this Bill, determine what we can learn from them and insert them into Government policy and future legislation in the area of river water quality protection. I do not have a huge amount of confidence, based on the record over the past few years, that our approach will see any dramatic improvements. In fact, all we see are disimprovements. The initiative I have referred to is a genuine contribution not only to try to improve the Boyne river but also, perhaps, to introduce a new framework for the management of our rivers and, in addition, something that is missing, namely democratic oversight. I am referring to genuine public engagement on the management of our rivers and the inclusion of community experts and those in our communities who care about our rivers’ development and future. An opportunity has been missed in this regard, which is unfortunate.

The division is postponed until the weekly division time next week.