Research and Development

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024

Wednesday, 17 January 2024

Questions (766)

Denis Naughten

Question:

766. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will list the ongoing research commissioned under the remit of his Department through the North-South Ministerial Council, Shared Island Initiative or through other all-island arrangements; if he will outline the research that has been completed; the date of publication of the research since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56917/23]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

My Department engages in collaborative research at an all-island level, through a broad range of partnerships and cooperation mechanisms, as set out below.

  National Parks and Wildlife Services all-island collaboration

  Officials in the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department collaborate with colleagues in Northern Ireland on an ongoing basis on shared, all-island nature, biodiversity and ecological interests, as detailed below:   

CANN Interreg project	Conserving Peatlands and Wetlands across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with financial support from the INTERREG VA programme. Match-funding provided by my Department along with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, and NatureScot in Scotland.	2002
CABB Interreg project	Cooperation Across Borders for Biodiversity (CABB) brings together six environmental organisations, including; BirdWatch Ireland, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Northern Ireland, RSPB Scotland, Butterfly Conservation, Northern Ireland Water and Moors for the Future. The CABB Project is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA programme. Match-funding provided by my Department, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, RSPB Scotland and Mines Restoration Ltd.   Link: birdwatchireland.ie/our-work/species-habitat-conservation/countryside-wetlands/cooperation-across-borders-for-biodiversity-cabb/	Not yet published
Irish Rare Breeding Birds Panel – IRBBP	Supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department alongside the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, BirdWatch Ireland, RSPB Northern Ireland and the UK Rare Breeding Birds Panel.   IRBBP compiles records of rare breeding birds, and produces detailed conservation accounts, with the participation and input of naturalists, ornithologists and birders across the island of Ireland. Updates published in BirdWatch Ireland’s journal “Irish Birds”. Link: irbbp.org/	2004 – ongoing
Irish Curlew Task Force report	NPWS provided secretariat and contributed to this all-island advisory group consisting of a broad range of stakeholders with an interest in the management of the Curlew and its habitat, including RSPB Northern Ireland.   Link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/general/curlew-task-force-recommendations.pdf	2019
Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland  2014 – 2019 2020 - 2026	NPWS supports this all island initiative led by RSPB Northern Ireland and Birdwatch Ireland to review status of birds in Ireland and assign to Red, Amber or Green list of conservation concern.   Links: birdwatchireland.ie/app/uploads/2019/09/BOCCI.pdf birdwatchireland.ie/app/uploads/2021/04/Irish-Birds-2021-BOCCI-for-web.pdf	2020
A census of breeding seabirds in Britain and Ireland (2015–2021)	Fourth census of Britain and Ireland’s internationally important populations of breeding seabirds. NPWS participates in the Seabirds Count Steering Group with stakeholders across these islands including Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland), BirdWatch Ireland and The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).   Link: www.lynxeds.com/product/seabirds-count/	2023
Curlew Captive breeding and head-starting programme	Established in 2017 to pioneer Curlew conservation efforts in Ireland, funded and co-ordinated by NPWS and the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine. Runs on an all-Ireland basis with cooperation of RSPB Northern Ireland.   Link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/files/curlew-conservation-programme-annual-report-2023.pdf	2023
DragonflyIreland	Research funded by NPWS with Ulster Museum (National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland) and The Heritage Council   Nelson, B., Thompson, R. and McFerran, D. 2001 Guide to the Dragonflies of Ireland. MAGNI Publication No 005. NMGNI, Belfast  Nelson, B. and Thompson, R. 2004. The Natural History of Ireland’s Dragonflies. MAGNI Publication No 013. NMGNI, Belfast   Link: www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian_Nelson7/publication/299424544_The_Natural_History_of_Ireland's_Dragonflies/links/58e3ab7d0f7e9b7c2eb5f64c/The-Natural-History-of-Irelands-Dragonflies.pdf	2000-2004
All Ireland Species Action Plans	Published jointly by NPWS and Environment and Heritage Service, Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland. Covering species of high conservation concern, including Corncrake, Pollan, Irish Hare Link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/2005_Group_SAP.pdf	2005
OrchidIreland	Database of orchid records held by CEDaR (Centre for Environmental Data and Recording, National Museums Northern Ireland) and NPWS.   Curtis, T. and Thompson, R. (2009) The Orchids of Ireland. National Museums Northern Ireland, Holywood. Curtis, T. and Wilson, F. (2014) Orchid Ireland Survey 2014. Final Report.   Links: www.nationalmuseumsni.org/cedar   www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/data-request-form.docx www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/general/1402_ORCH14_01.zip	2003 – 2014
LichenIreland	Database of lichen records held by CEDaR (Centre for Environmental Data and Recording, National Museums Northern Ireland) and NPWS. Seaward, M.R.D. (2010). Census Catalogue of Irish Lichens (3rd Edition). National Museums Northern Ireland, Holywood.   Links: www.habitas.org.uk/lichenireland/ www.nationalmuseumsni.org/cedar  www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/data-request-form.docx	2006 – 2015
Centre for Irish Bat Research 2008-2011	Established in 2008. A cross-border initiative established in 2008 and funded by NPWS, co-located in University College Dublin and Queen's University Belfast. Research funded includes 2 x PhDs, 1 x Masters and numerous scientific publications.	2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Distribution and status of Nathusius pipistrelle in Ireland (2016).	Report commissioned by NPWS   Link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/Nathusius%20Ireland%20-%20Final%20report_2016.pdf	2016
All-Ireland Mammal Atlas 2010-2015	Lysaght, L. and Marnell, F. (Eds) (2016) Atlas of Mammals in Ireland 2010-2015, National Biodiversity Data Centre, Waterford. NPWS part-funded this all-island atlas and alongside Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR), the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Bat Conservation Ireland, Northern Ireland Bat Group, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland, contributed datasets.   Link: biodiversityireland.ie/app/uploads/2021/11/Mammal_Atlas_web.pdf	2016
All-Ireland squirrel and pine marten survey, 2019; final report 2020	NPWS commissioned and published research by Ulster Wildlife and NUI Galway. Lawton C., Hanniffy, R., Molloy, V., Guilfoyle, C., Stinson, M. & Reilly, E. (2020) All-Ireland Squirrel and Pine Marten Survey 2019. Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 121. National Parks and Wildlife Service   Link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM121.pdf	2020
Irish Scheme for Cetacean Observation and public Education - ISCOPE I and II	NPWS co-funded with Environment and Heritage Service (Northern Ireland), Heritage Council, Marine Institute.   Links: iwdg.ie/cms_files/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Final_ISCOPE_I_Report.pdf   iwdg.ie/iscope-ii/	2006, 2010

Further, NPWS has produced 13 All-Ireland Red Lists in the period 2009 - 2020 in collaboration with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, as listed below:

	Ireland Red List	Published
No. 1 – Water beetles	Foster, G. N., Nelson, B. H., & O Connor, Á.	2009
No. 2 – Non-Marine Molluscs	Byrne, A., Moorkens, E.A., Anderson, R., Killeen, I.J., & Regan, E.C.	2009
No. 3: Terrestrial Mammals	Marnell, F., Kingston, N., & Looney, D.	2009
No. 4 – Butterflies	Regan, E.C., Nelson, B., Aldwell, B., Bertrand, C., Bond, K., Harding, J., Nash, D., Nixon, D., & Wilson, C.J.	2010
No. 5: Amphibians, Reptiles & Freshwater Fish	King, J.L., Marnell, F., Kingston, N., Rosell, R., Boylan, P., Caffrey, J.M., FitzPatrick, Ú., Gargan, P.G., Kelly, F.L., O’Grady, M.F., Poole, R., Roche, W.K., & Cassidy, D.	2011
No.6: Damselflies & Dragonflies (Odonata)	Nelson, B., Ronayne, C., & Thompson, R.	2011
No. 7: Mayflies (Ephemeroptera)	Kelly-Quinn, M. & Regan, E.C.	2012
No. 8: Bryophytes	Lockhart, N., Hodgetts, N., & Holyoak, D.	2012
No. 9: Macro-moths (Lepidoptera)	Allen, D., O’Donnell, M., Nelson, B., Tyner, A., Bond, K.G.M., Bryant, T., Crory, A., Mellon, C., O’Boyle, J., O’Donnell, E., Rolston, T., Sheppard, R., Strickland, P., Fitzpatrick, U., & Regan, E.	2016
No. 10: Vascular Plants.	Wyse Jackson, M., FitzPatrick, Ú., Cole, E., Jebb, M., McFerran, D., Sheehy Skeffington, M., & Wright, M.	2016
No. 11: Cartilaginous fish (sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras)	Murray, T.E., Foster, S., & Marnell, F.	2016
No. 12: Terrestrial Mammals	Marnell, F., Looney, D., & Lawton, C.	2019
No. 13: Stoneflies (Plecoptera)	Feeley, H.B., Baars, J-R., Kelly-Quinn, M., & Nelson, B.	2020

  Collaborative Spatial Planning - British-Irish Council

  My Department is an active participant in the Collaborative Spatial Planning work sector of the British-Irish Council (BIC), the activities of which promote collaboration among the eight BIC administrations across these islands. Valuable engagement has taken place through the BIC Housing work sector to address shared policy challenges and this culminated in a joint symposium on Age Friendly approaches to Housing and Collaborative Spatial Planning, hosted in Belfast in November 2019. This symposium considered how policy professionals might address some of the key spatial planning and housing challenges in the period up to 2040. Arising from the symposium a policy guide on ‘Creating an Inclusive Future Vision for our Ageing Populations’, was developed and published following Ministerial approval in July 2022. Future focus areas include:

• contribution of spatial planning to the revitalisation of towns;

• contribution of spatial planning to ‘Build Better Places’ in the context of COVID-19 recovery;

• consideration of best practice in National/Regional Planning Frameworks; and

• promoting expert learning and experience sharing.

  My Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the State bodies under its aegis.  These bodies may be contacted directly by e-mail by members of the Oireachtas, as set out in the Table below.

State Body	Contact E-mail Address
An Bord Pleanála	[e-mail]
An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum)	[e-mail]
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority	[e-mail]
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum	[e-mail]
Ervia	[e-mail]
Gas Networks Ireland	[e-mail]
Heritage Council	[e-mail]
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency	[e-mail]
Housing Finance Agency	[e-mail]
Land Development Agency	[e-mail]
Local Government Management Agency	[e-mail]
Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA)	[e-mail]
National Oversight and Audit Commission	[e-mail]
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee	[e-mail]
Office of the Planning Regulator	[e-mail]
Pyrite Resolution Board	[e-mail]
Residential Tenancies Board	[e-mail]
Tailte Éireann	[e-mail]
Uisce Éireann	[e-mail]
Valuation Tribunal	[e-mail]
Waterways Ireland	[e-mail]