Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
203. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment which agency has statutory responsibility for the installation, operation and maintenance of continuous monitoring infrastructure on major rivers. [13828/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraLast week, I welcomed the publication of the independent report carried out by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) which examined the State’s response to the fish kill incident that occurred on the Munster Blackwater in August 2025.
While the report confirms that State agencies responded quickly and appropriately once the incident was reported, it also identified areas where improvements can be made, including approaches to detection such as continuous real-time monitoring on major rivers.
There is no existing statutory requirement to provide continuous monitoring infrastructure on Irish rivers. Responsibility for water quality is assigned to a range of bodies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and Local Authorities, and monitoring responsibilities are aligned with their statutory functions. Decisions on how monitoring obligations are delivered is an operational matter for each body.
The recommendations set out in the JRC report are complex and will require detailed assessments and technical, operational and financial planning. They also need to be considered alongside existing arrangements to ensure that actions taken will complement and enhance existing monitoring programmes and systems rather than duplicate or replace them.
All recommendations will be considered. A structured approach to implementation will be developed in due course, to guide how recommendations are prioritised, progressed and funded.
