Departmental Press Release

The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Mr Simon Coveney, T.D. today (2 March 2017) announced the opening of public consultation in relation to the review of Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme.  The public consultation is being launched jointly by Minister Coveney and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr. Michael Creed TD.

Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme is given effect by European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 31 of 2014).  The regulations contain specific measures to protect surface waters and groundwater from nutrient pollution arising from agricultural sources.  In accordance with the Nitrates Directive these regulations are due to be reviewed this year.

In opening this public consultation Minister Coveney said “protecting and maintaining water quality is a national priority and Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme plays an important part in achieving this. This review of the Programme gives us an opportunity to ensure it is realising this objective as effectively as possible”.

The review is a key step in the preparation of regulations that will underpin Ireland’s fourth Nitrates Action Programme which will remain in place until 2021.

Minister Coveney added:  “I look forward to hearing from a wide range of stakeholders during this important consultation process”.

The closing date for receipt of responses is 28 April 2017. The consultation paper can be downloaded from the Departments’ websites at www.housing.gov.ie and www.agriculture.gov.ie.  Hard copies can be obtained on request from Water Quality Section, Department of the Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Newtown Road, Wexford, tel: 053 9117487, e-mail: waterquality@housing.gov.ie 

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Minister of State for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy, Catherine Byrne has encouraged all stakeholders to have their say on the new programme to address poverty, long term unemployment and social exclusion. The Minister was speaking at the first of the consultation events by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government on the next iteration of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, SICAP.

SICAP aims is to address poverty, long term unemployment and social exclusion, through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies.

Speaking at the consultation event today Minister Byrne said: “The thing that strikes me most about the current SICAP programme is its diversity, the huge variety of work being done in communities and its capacity in addressing real problems and in assisting real people who are experiencing sometimes very challenging difficulties. Some of what I experienced at the front-line, especially during my time working as a volunteer in my own community, was the need for people to be heard, to be supported, and to be put on course to making the right decisions for themselves and their families.”

Over €100 million has been invested in communities through SICAP since it commenced in April 2015. This includes an allocation of €19 million under the European Social Fund (ESF) Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020 and the Youth Employment Initiative. SICAP has helped provide building blocks for local and community development in Ireland and part of its vision is to improve the life chances and opportunities of those who are marginalised in society or living in poverty. SICAP comes to an end in December 2017 and the Department has now commenced a consultation process, involving key stakeholders, to help inform the next iteration of the programme, which is due to commence in 2018.

Minister Byrne said “I witnessed, first hand, the care, sensitivity and commitment shown to the harder to reach through SICAP services.  SICAP is a vital support for communities and today is the start of a process to ensure that it remains so into the future. While no major overhaul of SICAP is on the cards there is a need for fresh thinking and innovation. The tried and tested method or the ‘safe’ approach is not always the right one.  We always have to look at what can be improved and strengthened. I would encourage everyone to have their say on this very important issue.”

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