Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 April 2023
293. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of criminal investigations and prosecutions for illegally starting wildfires since the Government came to office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19450/23]
View answerI strongly condemn the spate of wildlife in recent year and any resulting destruction of nature. These fires can pose significant risks to the environment, property and people.
My Department works closely with the Fire Service, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and An Garda Síochána, as appropriate, to investigate the causes of fires in our National Parks and Reserves and protected sites. The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department (NPWS) has deployed increased fire patrols across sites, including aerial monitoring. Where evidence is forthcoming, appropriate enforcement under the Wildlife Acts or other legislation will be pursued. Cross compliance is also undertaken where appropriate with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Detailed data on the numbers of criminal investigations and prosecutions for illegal wildfires taken by organisations other than the NPWS is not collected by, and consequently is not available in, my Department. The information regarding the number of investigations and prosecutions taken by NPWS since I came into office is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
It should be noted however that due to the sheer scale of land involved here, coupled with the remote locations of much of the designated lands and the sporadic occurrence and dynamic nature of such fires it is simply not possible to provide a visible “presence” as a deterrent on the ground. The National Parks and Reserves Network alone cover some 87,000 hectares and approximately 14% of the State is designated as either an Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area. This includes many remote and inaccessible areas. Most land in special areas of conservation, special protection areas and natural heritage areas is in private ownership. Equally, trying to identify those who deliberately set fires in open areas without concern for the consequences can be challenging.
The issue here is a question of individuals being more responsible about actions they take and being mindful of the potential damage to life, private property, and public property that can be caused by carelessly setting fires.
It is incumbent on all of us as custodians of nature and the land to work together to find solutions to avoid this happening in the future.
