Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Mar 1997

Vol. 476 No. 2

Written Answers. - REP Scheme.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

249 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the reason his Department is not following up on its instruction to planning agencies for the rural environment protection scheme to involve the services of an environmental scientist in view of the fact that all Teagasc REP scheme reports and the majority of private agency REP scheme plans do not include wildlife and habitat reports which are required by environmental specialists, and in view of the fact that this is to the detriment of the REP scheme in respect of the chances of renewal of the scheme later by the EU and especially to the detriment of the environment in the degraded commonages of the western uplands, many of them in proposed national heritage areas. [6774/97]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

All REPS planning agencies approved by my Department are required to have access to the services of an environmentalist to assist in the preparation of REPS plans in appropriate cases. Checks are carried out by my Department to ensure that REPS plans are prepared in accordance with this requirement and the Department's agri-environmental specifications. These specifications set out, inter alia, the procedures for the identification and retention of wildlife habitats. There is provision for severe penalties (which have been applied) in respect of non-compliance with the REPS specifications on the retention of wildlife habitats. The REPS specifications are designed to protect and enhance the rural environment and I am satisfied that their implementation will ensure the continuation of agri-environmental measures such as REPS.