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Special Areas of Conservation Criteria

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 October 2013

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Questions (345)

Patrick O'Donovan

Question:

345. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide details of the number of landowners in tabular form by county whose lands are designated for habitat protection of the hen harrier but are not in receipt of compensation from his Department; his plans to include those landowners currently outside the remit of compensation schemes as a result of the designation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42092/13]

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Written answers

The figures in the table below indicate the number of landowners (by county) who were notified that their lands are designated (for the protection of the hen harrier) as Special Protection Areas (SPAs).

Sitecode

Site name

-

Landowners Notified by County

4160

SLIEVE BLOOM MOUNTAINS SPA

Laois

310

4160

SLIEVE BLOOM MOUNTAINS SPA

Offaly

146

4161

STACK'S TO MULLAGHAREIRK MOUNTAINS, WEST LIMERICK HILLS AND MOUNT EAGLE SPA

Cork

411

4161

STACK'S TO MULLAGHAREIRK MOUNTAINS, WEST LIMERICK HILLS AND MOUNT EAGLE SPA

Kerry

707

4161

STACK'S TO MULLAGHAREIRK MOUNTAINS, WEST LIMERICK HILLS AND MOUNT EAGLE SPA

Limerick

735

4162

MULLAGHANISH TO MUSHERAMORE MOUNTAINS SPA

Cork

170

4165

SLIEVEFELIM TO SILVERMINES MOUNTAINS SPA

Limerick

131

4165

SLIEVEFELIM TO SILVERMINES MOUNTAINS SPA

Tipperary

372

4167

SLIEVE BEAGH SPA

Monaghan

86

4168

SLIEVE AUGHTY MOUNTAINS SPA

Galway

743

4168

SLIEVE AUGHTY MOUNTAINS SPA

Clare

628

-

Total

-

4439

The number of participants who received payments under my Department’s Farm Plan Scheme for the Hen Harrier is set out in the table below. This is a voluntary scheme whereby farmers are paid for creating and enhancing habitat.

County

Number of Participants

Clare

86

Cork

53

Galway

32

Kerry

60

Laois

7

Limerick

96

Monaghan

11

Tipperary

32

Total

377

Due to budgetary constraints, the scheme is now closed to new applicants since April 2010.

While my Department has the lead role in relation to the implementation of the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, significant funding is provided through the Rural Development Programme, operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which provides for a range of supports for farmers, including payments in respect of designated areas under the Directives.

This Department does not hold information of the number of individuals in these SPAs who are in receipt of payments for management of Natura 2000 lands in schemes operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In recent versions of the Agri-Environmental Options Scheme (AEOS), lands designated as SPA were afforded priority access to this scheme.

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