Relevant Matter
Public policy or programme
Public Policy Area
Heritage
Period
1 Jan, 2024 to 30 Apr, 2024
Specific Details
SWAN Asks in the River Basin Management Plan
Intended results
To get SWAN asks adopted in the River Basin Management Plan:
1. The plan must be far more ambitious and include targeted measures to restore ALL waters to healthy status by 2027 and halt deterioration.
2. Agriculture policy must be brought in line with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) to halt escalating pollution through a WFD-specific risk assessment for all intensive farms, including derogation farms, as part of a permitting system.
3. Prohibit wetland drainage and implement a national wetland restoration plan.
4. The Irish Water Investment Plan must include measures to end sewage pollution in the 208 waterbodies where urban wastewater is a significant pressure.
5. Afforestation and felling licenses must include a WFD-specific assessment, with site-specific conditions to protect water. Afforestation on peat soils in acid sensitive catchments must stop.
6. The Plan cannot ignore the coast. It must set out all coastal-specific pressures and the measures to address them.
7. Water governance must be made transparent and brought into compliance with the Aarhus Convention. Participation of the public and local river groups in the development of catchment management plans must be facilitated & resourced.
Statement of the findings of the EPA distance-to-target analysis
Commitment to identify the necessary additional evidence-based measures through an independent progress review.
For all wastewater systems and plants, which have been identified as a significant pressure/ pollution source in over 200 waterbodies, targeted measures must be introduced as soon as is technically feasible: Any delays in bringing in the necessary measures to halt pollution from wastewater beyond 2027 must be supported with an Article 4-compliant justification.
Assessments must be initiated for all these systems and plants by mid-cycle i.e. 2025 and completed by 2027.
In the interests of transparency, the Plan should also clearly set out:
a)
where this wastewater pollution is happening (catchment and waterbody);
b)
the wastewater system causing it;
c)
where there is a proposed plan to fix it, the timeline for this
d)
where there is no plan / action in the lifetime of the Plan to fix it, a clear justification, and explanation
An urgent assessment of catchment-scale ‘soft-options’ which maximise upstream attenuation, in addition to a prohibition on wetland drainage and Arterially drained waterbodies must NOT be designated as Heavily Modified
Based on a swift gap analysis of its forestry measures to assess the extent to which the various policies and regulations in place and put forward in the RBMP will bring the 233 waterbodies impacted by forestry up to good status and prevent deteriorations , it must include a commitment to introduce additional evidence-based, targeted, catchment- and site-specific supplementary measure during the lifetime of the Plan to ‘fill the gap’ and restore these waterbodies.
Based on this gap analysis of of agriculture measures to bring the 1,000 waterbodies impacted by agriculture up to good status and prevent deterioration. it must include a commitment to introduce additional supplementary measures during the lifetime of the plan to ‘fill the gap’, in particular to tackle catchment-specific factors, including nitrate carrying capacity.
In light of the long timeframe given for the development of the planned legislation (Controlled Activities for the Protection of Waters Act), the Plan should include interim measures to control land drainage and physical alterations to waterbodies including dredging; channelization; etc. where these have been identified as a significant issue.
Arterially drained waterbodies must NOT be designated as Heavily Modified.
National Citizen Science Strategy, which includes water as a priority theme
and builds on the work already undertaken by government agencies, universities and eNGOs. Validated data from freshwater, transitional and coastal citizen science projects (such as nitrate testing, seagrass surveying and opportunistic green algae monitoring), will be used and augment official monitoring data from 2024 onwards.
DHLGH will ensure integration of WFD requirements for coastal and transitional waterbodies into management of ORE through participation in appropriate governance mechanisms
Measures to address aquaculture pressures will be included in the coastal Catchment Management Plans and set out in an Aquaculture Sectoral Action Plan.”
Ensure all aquaculture licences are in compliance with the WFD. This will include the removal of all illegal/ unlicensed aquaculture installations
The online mapping viewer of licensed aquaculture sites in Ireland to include documents related to chemicals used on finfish farms.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Antoin McDermott and Sinéad O'Brien
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Malcolm Noonan
Minister of State (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)
Hannah Hamilton
Special Adviser (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)