asked the Minister for the Environment to what extent Ireland has complied with the 1975 directive of the Council of EEC Ministers responsible for the environment, under which the nine member states must bring the bathing waters around their coasts up to certain minimum standards; and if the provisions of that directive have been implemented.

This directive calls for compliance with certain standards in bathing areas within ten years of its notification to member states. While only limited water quality sampling of the type envisaged in the directive has been carried out here, the position is that bathing waters generally in Ireland already have a much higher quality than the standard required by the directive.

Local authorities were requested by my Department in July 1976 to examine the implications of the directive for their areas, including the identification of bathing places for which sampling in accordance with the directive might be undertaken. My Department are at present considering, in consultation with the local authorities concerned, the arrangements for having such sampling carried out. It should be appreciated, however, that the directive applies only to bathing places in which bathing is explicitly authorised or in which bathing is not prohibited and is traditionally practiced by a large number of bathers. This limits very greatly its application in Irish conditions.

Can the Minister tell us, arising out of this directive and the consideration which his Department are giving to it, if any new finance or staff have been allocated to remedying the existing problem?

Not at this stage. As I said in my reply, all local authorities have received a copy of the directive with a view to having it applied. I also said that our standards are higher than those required by this directive.

The Minister said in his answer that only limited sampling had taken place. This gave the impression that the sampling was not as comprehensive as it should have been. How extensive was it? Was it consistent with the kind of sampling which would be a meaningful base for progress in this area?

Sampling in accordance with the directive is to be undertaken by the local authorities.

Has it not been undertaken yet?

It is being undertaken at the moment.