asked the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry the action he is taking to ensure that oysters and other shellfish are not contaminated by discharges from public sewage systems operated by local authorities in coastal areas; and if he will make a statement on the oyster beds in the inner Galway Bay.

I am obviously concerned that commercial shellfish resources should not be subjected to sewage contamination which, though not harmful to shellfish, would render them unsuitable for direct human consumption and so jeopardise their marketability.

The Local Government (Water Pollution) Act, 1977, gives responsibility for the control of sewage discharges from land based sources to the local authority into whose functional area the discharge takes place. However, local authorities engaged in the provision of new sewerage schemes involving a discharge of coastal waters are invariably obliged to obtain a foreshore licence from the Minister for Communications in respect of outfall facilities. My Department are consulted regarding all foreshore licence applications and may object to any proposal which is considered to constitute a threat to fishery interests. Such action is necessary only in a minority of cases.

I am well aware of the importance of the commercial oyster beds in the inner part of Galway Bay, and of their potential for development. My Department are currently engaged in investigations intended to ensure that this resource is not jeopardised by proposed sewage discharges in the area.

In regard to the proposal to discharge raw sewage into Galway Bay at Mutton Island, have the Department given their approval to the discharge of untreated sewage and is the Minister satisfied that that proposal should now proceed?

No, my Department have not given approval and we are objecting to the issue of foreshore licences by the Department of Communications for the Oranmore sewerage scheme. The local authority have accepted the validity of the case——

Not Oranmore, Mutton Island; Galway Corporation, not Galway County Council. It is in the question. There is nothing in the question about Oranmore.

In relation to Mutton Island I am not in a position to give the necessary information on that to the Deputy. I will communicate with him later on today and let him know the position.

I have put down several questions in the past number of months—

This is Question No. 13.

Is the Minister not taking them all together?

No. The Deputy is referring to Question No. 14.

We are dealing with No. 13 now.

Let me ask the Minister if he is confining his reply to Question No. 13 regarding the sewerage scheme for which his Department have given their approval for discharge, will that approval also apply to future extensions of that scheme or will it be necessary for the local authority to seek a new licence in the event of a second phase being added to a sewerage scheme which previously had a licence for a smaller discharge? Is there any quantification?

I would feel that the application for a licence would depend, first of all, on whether there was a change of location — for example, in relation to the outfall at the discharge point. Obviously, that would necessitate applying for a new licence. In relation to increased volume of the sewage, it would depend on the conditions applying to the original licence. If it was felt that the maximum had been exceeded that would be damaging to the prospects of development adjacent to the outfall point, it would depend on the conditions attaching to the licence.