Vol. 484 No. 3
284 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the progress, if any, which has been made in applying regulations under the European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations, 1997, to deal with damage done with the Murrough, County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21814/97]
This area of the Murrough is proposed for designation as a special area of conservation (SAC) under the terms of the European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations, 1997 (S. I. No. 94 of 1997), which transposed the EU Habitats Directive into Irish law.
Accordingly, as soon as it came to the notice of my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) that works likely to damage the ecology of this area were under way, NPWS wrote to the landowner concerned to the effect that this site was the subject of a designation proposal under the above legislation. It was pointed out that any attempt to alter or to interfere in any significant way with the natural ecology of the area without prior consultation with NPWS would result in legal measures being taken to have the work discontinued and the site fully restored. It is understood that the works in question ceased shortly after the issue of that letter and have not commenced since then.
However, it is clear that damage has occurred to the ecology of the area, and NPWS is working to achieve the restoration of the site to the maximum extent possible. There have been contacts with the landowners concerned and I expect further discussions to take place in the near future. A decision on how to proceed will be taken in the light of the outcome of these discussions.
