Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2023
114. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline the environmental standards and nature protection provisions his Department oversees; the level of activity of enforcement in each case, covering inspections, issuing of notices, and prosecution; and if he plans to step up activity. [46966/23]
View answerThe protection of nature and the environment in Ireland is a responsibility shared by all of society. Various sectors and organisations, including several different Government departments, agencies and bodies all have key responsibilities in this regard.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is an executive agency within my Department with primary responsibility for nature conservation, wildlife protection and the presentation and preservation of our National Parks and Nature Reserves. It oversees a wide range of nature conservation legislation including the transposition of the EU Birds Directive, the transposition of the EU Habitats Directive, the Wildlife Acts and all associated regulations. Section 11 of the Wildlife Act, 1976, as amended, sets out the functions of the Minister in relation to the protection of nature.
The government’s commitment to protecting nature is evident in the substantial increases in budget and resources for NPWS in recent years. NPWS's Strategic Action Plan equips it with the organisational capability and supporting structures to enable it to deliver its mandate in protecting our natural heritage. There are over 470 staff working in the area of natural heritage throughout the NPWS with additional resources being recruited across all grades and specialisms.
Recognising the importance of tackling wildlife crime, a dedicated Directorate for Wildlife Enforcement and Nature Protection is now established in NPWS, along with 6 other Directorates. The function of this Directorate is to support the wildlife enforcement work that has been, and continues to be carried out by NPWS staff working across all regions of the country. These include Conservation Rangers and District Conservation Officers, supported by Regional Managers and Divisional Managers, administrative and scientific staff.
The Government has committed to increasing the number of Conservation Rangers who deal with enforcement matters.
Since January 2020, 150 prosecutions for wildlife crime have been taken by my Department. We are actively prosecuting 83 of these cases and have successfully closed 67 prosecution cases. In addition to taking prosecutions, under wildlife legislation Ministerial Directions can issue to restore lands where damage has occurred to designated sites and use other regulatory and administrative measures to ensure compliance with wildlife legislation.
The NPWS is also working to review, consolidate and modernise the Wildlife Act and the Birds and Habitats Regulations. The updates to this legislation will be wide-ranging but will have a particular focus on deterrence and on improving the enforceability of wildlife laws.
In terms of environmental standards in other areas which my Department oversees, the Maritime Area Planning Acts 2021 to 2023 require that Strategic Environmental Assessment is carried out in line with the relevant legislation on all high-level plans such as the National Maritime Planning Framework, Maritime Spatial Plans, Department-produced guidelines and any regulations where it is required.
On an individual project level, the recently-established Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) and An Bord Pleanála are responsible for ensuring Appropriate Assessment and Environment Impact Assessment are undertaken in respect of applications made to those bodies for planning consent or licences. MARA is responsible for the enforcement of all authorisations in the maritime area.
In relation to the marine environment, my Department is responsible for the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The MSFD is implemented in regular cycles with new environmental targets set every six years. These targets set the standards for the health of the marine environment.
At the level of the North Atlantic, my Department leads Ireland’s participation in the Oslo-Paris Convention for the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) Commission and its subsidiary bodies. The OSPAR vision of ‘a clean, healthy and biologically diverse North-East Atlantic Ocean, which is productive, used sustainably and resilient to climate change and ocean acidification’ is implemented through the delivery of the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy to 2030.
My Department is responsible for the Dumping at Sea Act and the Microbeads (Prohibition) Act, with implementation and enforcement undertaken by the EPA.
