Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 January 2010
890 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 286 of 17 December 2009, the number of hectares in each county that are designated candidate special areas of conservation, candidate national heritage areas and candidate special protection areas. [1615/10]
View answerThe Table supplied in reply to Question No. 286 of 17 December 2009 provides the correct position with regard to candidate Special Areas of Conservation, Natural Heritage Areas and Special Protection Areas.
The term "candidate" does not apply to the designation process for Natural Heritage Areas under the Wildlife Acts, or to the designation process for Special Protection Areas under the Birds Directive.
The term "candidate SAC" is an informal term describing SACs that are included in a list of sites adopted by the European Commission further to Article 4 of the Habitats Directive, but have not yet been formally designated through Statutory Instrument. This is the current status of all our SACs. The legal protection afforded to candidate SACs is identical to that which will be afforded to SACs and, as a result, the terms have become interchangeable in common usage.
891 Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 286 of 17 December 2009, the number of hectares of marine area that are designated special areas of conservation, natural heritage areas and special protection areas in each county. [1616/10]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
