Wildlife Conservation

Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Questions (723)

Patrick O'Donovan

Question:

723. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide details in tabular form by location of the number of hen harrier birds in each of the SPAs, Slieve Aughty, Slieve Beagh, Slieve Bloom, Boggeragh, Sleive Felim and Mullagareik, of which his Department is aware; the number of individual land-holdings and landowners within the boundaries of these areas; the number of landowners in receipt of compensation from his Department within these areas; the number of landowners who have unsuccessfully applied to be included in a compensation arrangement from the Department from these areas; the total amount of compensation paid to landowners in each of these areas since designation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36937/13]

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Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

The information sought by the Deputy is available from the Republic of Ireland Hen Harrier Survey 2010 and is set out in the Table below (the survey report is available at http://www.npws.ie/publications/irishwildlifemanuals/IWM59.pdf ):

Site Code	Site Name	Number of pairs breeding or attempting to breed (2010)
4160	SLIEVE BLOOM MOUNTAINS SPA	9
4161	STACKS TO MULLAGHAREIRK MOUNTAINS, WEST LIMERICK HILLS AND MOUNT EAGLE SPA	29
4162	MULLAGHANISH TO MUSHERAMORE MOUNTAINS SPA	3
4165	SLIEVEFELIM TO SILVERMINES MOUNTAINS SPA	7
4167	SLIEVE BEAGH SPA	6
4168	SLIEVE AUGHTY MOUNTAINS SPA	23
-	Total	77

The figures on the number of landowners identified within these SPAs are being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The number of participants who received payments under my Department’s Farm Plan Scheme for the Hen Harrier is set out in the table.

County	Number of Participants
Clare	86
Cork	53
Galway	32
Kerry	60
Laois	7
Limerick	96
Monaghan	11
Tipperary	32
Total	377

A further 27 people wrote to my Department expressing an interest in joining the Hen Harrier Farm Plan Scheme after it closed in April 2010.

By mid-September 2013, my Department had paid €11,031,200 to participants in the Hen Harrier Farm Plan Scheme for work completed as part of their contracts.