Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 June 2014
99. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will put a three year plan in place in Killarney National Park to re-establish control over the areas cleared of Rhododendron by groundwork volunteers since 1981. [27530/14]
View answer101. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will reintroduce the line method of systematically checking the woods in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, to locate all rhododendron plants for removal, thereby ensuring thoroughness. [27590/14]
View answer102. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when dealing with Rhododendrons in Killarney National Park, County Kerry if he will register seed-source plants before removal in order to allow an accurate return visit to uproot all new plants. [27591/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 99, 101 and 102 together.
I refer to my reply to Question No. 11 of 11 June 2014, which sets out my Department's overall approach to Rhododendron clearance in Killarney National Park. The focus of the Rhododendron management programme and the control methods used are regularly reviewed and refined to respond to the dynamic and vigorous nature of the plant in order to mitigate its impact at different locations throughout the Park. While a wide range of control methods are considered for this purpose, those chosen are generally selected on the basis of optimum efficacy, having regard to the most effective use of available resources. My Department will continue to keep its approach to this issue under review.
