The minister of state with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) has said that he aims to bring forward a bill on the management of the River Shannon early in the new year.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan, a minister of state at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, made the comment in a Dáil debate this week with independent TD Carol Nolan.
Nolan had again called for an end to delays for a bill of legislation to address issues relating to the River Shannon Management Agency Bill 2020.
According to Nolan, plans for a management agency for the river are required to finally address persistent flooding issues on the Shannon Callows.
She asked Minister O’Donovan if the OPW had engaged with Waterways Ireland or the ESB on mitigation measures to address flooding in the Callows region.
The Laois-Offaly TD also asked the minister what his department’s input has been in advancing the River Shannon Management Agency Bill.
Minister O’Donovan said that the issue was complicated, but said he hoped to bring a proposal forward early in the new year.
At the end of his exchange with Nolan in the Dáil, he said: “With regard to the question the Deputy asked about the legislation, this is a complicated issue.
“One of the bodies, Waterways Ireland, which has responsibility for navigation, is a cross-border body set up under the Good Friday Agreement. Its powers derive from the OPW, which previously had responsibility for the River Shannon.”
“In addition, there is electricity generation and there are huge implications for Parteen Weir and further flooding that could be caused at the lower end of the Shannon,” he added.
The minister said that the issue “is not something that we can simplistically solve”.
“I have donated a lot of time to it, as have my officials, and I hope to be in a position to bring a proposal to the government on it early in the new year,” Minister O’Donovan said.
He also told the Dáil that a tender will shortly issue for an ecological consultant to carry out an environmental study on “pinch points” along the river.
The study will consider the possible impacts of excavation of material at key locations in the River Shannon channel; the longer term maintenance of the riverbed; and the changes in water levels.
Commenting after the Dáil exchange, Nolan said: “Farmers and landowners need certainty on this matter and that is why I welcome, at long last, some kind of indication about when we will finally see a concrete legislative proposal with respect to a bill that has been on the government priority list for the last three years.”
“I understand the issue is complex, and the minister has indicated the issues are closely intertwined with other uses of the river such as navigation, dam safety and electricity generation, but the fact remains we need urgent action to prevent ongoing flooding and destruction that comes with it.”
Nolan also asked the minister in the Dáil what efforts his Fine Gael colleagues in the European Parliament were making to try to relax certain planning restrictions that might be slowing down action on this issue in Ireland.
She criticised Minister O’Donovan for saying that Nolan is “capable of sending them an email”.
“I and my constituents deserved a far more serious reply to that legitimate question,” Nolan said.