Vol. 549 No. 4
37 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands her views on the formal rebuke issued by the European Commission regarding the failure to protect the wild bird population and for not adopting and implementing a national heritage plan; the steps being taken to ensure implementation of these directives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6793/02]
No formal rebuke was issued by the European Commission in relation to protection of wild bird populations. I presume the Deputy is referring to a reasoned opinion issued by the Commission which states that in the view of the Commission, Ireland has not fully implemented the provisions of the birds directive. This relates primarily to the progress made by Ireland in designating special protection areas or SPAs under the EU birds directive.
There is a considerable amount of common ground between the Commission and my Department in regard to many of the issues raised in the reasoned opinion. Major sections of that document were concerned with designation of additional SPAs and the extension, on scientific grounds, of existing SPAs. It is agreed that we have some work to do in this area and I can confirm that considerable progress will be made over the next few months. I am making available to the Deputy a list of 34 SPAs that will be the subject of public advertisements within the next week or so. The Deputy will see that 25 of these sites are wholly new SPAs and that nine of them are extensions to existing SPAs. This is the first step in the process of formal designation of these areas. I fully expect that these and other measures to be taken by my Department will more than satisfy the EU Commission in this regard.
There are other issues of a technical nature, such as the designation of sites for dispersed species, that require further examination from my officials and their EU counterparts. There is continuing communication with the Commission on these matters. I expect that this dialogue will soon enable the Commission to conclude that further legal action in the European Court of Justice is not necessary to secure the full and effective implementation of the birds directive in Ireland. There are no implications for the draft National Heritage Plan in the reasoned opinion. The reasoned opinion relates only to the implementation of EU directives. The national heritage plan was mentioned briefly in the reasoned opinion but only because it had been referred to by my Department in previous correspondence in outlining various initiatives relevant to conservation of wild birds and research on their status.
The national heritage plan will be the first integrated plan in the history of the State to set out comprehensive proposals to conserve and protect all aspects of our national heritage. The plan will set out priorities, strategies and actions for the future management and protection of our heritage. It stems from the programme for Government and does not arise from the obligations contained in any EU directive. I intend to seek Government approval for the plan in the very near future. When this has been obtained it will be published at the earliest possible opportunity. At a recent meeting with Commissioner Wallstro1m I outlined my proposals in regard to the national heritage plan and the related national biodiversity strategy which were warmly welcomed by the commissioner.
