Vol. 537 No. 2
46 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the steps she is taking to ensure the reports required under the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) are provided to the EU Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15732/01]
I refer to my reply to Question No. 77 of 11 April in which I gave a commitment that the three year report on the implementation in Ireland of the EU Directive (79/409 EC) on the conservation of wild birds would be submitted to the European Commission by the end of May. I now confirm that this report, which is required under Article 12 of the directive, has been completed and forwarded to the European Commission.
I thank the Minister for that positive reply, even though the report was late. Does she agree that this was largely because her Department is under staffed? What efforts has she made to acquire additional staff, and what assurance can she give the House that in future there will be no such delays which, had the Commission initiated the legal process, could have resulted in the Department ending up before the European Court of Justice?
I accept there was a delay. The reason was that in recent years there was a concentration of staff on the designation of sites under both the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. That very important work needed to be completed as effectively as possible. However, I directed that priority be given to the completion of the report. It has now been completed and submitted to the European Commission in accordance with the commitment I made in this House in April. The next report is due early next year and work on it has already commenced.
With regard to staffing, we would obviously wish to have an increase in staff and have made proposals to the relevant Minister on a number of occasions for staff for different sections of the Department, and we have been successful in getting further staff for our Department generally.
Will the Minister agree that she holds an important brief in having responsibility for the protection of wild bird life? Will she agree that it is significant that there are vast tracts of this country where the cuckoo is now unheard? Deputy Browne, who is a countryman like me, says that it is not to be heard any more in Carlow—
He does not get up early enough.
—and that only two have been reported in Clare. I do not know about Waterford, Monaghan or other parts of the country, but the cuckoo is becoming an endangered species where it used to be the corncrake. The only part of Ireland where the corncrake can be heard now is on Tory Island.
What about Creeslough?
There is an occasional one in Creeslough. I do not know whether there has been one this year. What is the Minister doing to protect species like the cuckoo and the corncrake? They will both be as dead as dodos if things continue to deteriorate as they are doing.
She is a rare bird herself.
Deputy Deasy has raised these issues on a number of occasions. There was a similar debate in the House previously when both the corncrake and the cuckoo were mentioned.
And skylarks.
In fact, one Deputy who had accused me in one such debate of not ensuring that cuckoos were well looked after, came back to me quite contrite a day later to tell me that the cuckoo was alive and well in certain parts of the country because he had heard it that day on the golf course. However, we must be serious about these matters because they are serious. If the Deputy puts down specific questions pertaining to the cuckoo, corncrake or any other bird he believes to be at risk, I will be happy to provide further information on the matter. The Deputy will be aware that there is special provision for the corncrake, and rightly so. Only for that provision we might well have seen its demise.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): I have no wish to go cuckoo but I have been mentioned here in dispatches. I can confirm there is a cuckoo in County Clare. However, the cuckoo that always visited Carlow golf course – unlike Deputy Deasy I, like the cuckoo, only appear there on rare occasions – has disappeared for a number of years and I have never heard it anywhere else in Carlow. Has any study been carried out on the disappearance of the cuckoo? Why, of all birds, is it disappearing from the countryside?
The hedgerows are being chopped down again, in case the Minister has not noticed. The issue of the corncrakes is a little different in that the Department and Dúchas have made strong efforts to retain the corncrake in certain habitats, such as along the banks of the Shannon. However, the overall situation is unsatisfactory. I have repeatedly asked one question of the Minister and she promised to consider doing something about it. It is that a census of wildlife in general be carried out with the aid of school children, particularly national school children. The Department, apparently, does not have the resources to do it. It would be useful to know the up to date position regarding all endangered species because, at present, we do not know it.
Will the Minister agree to circulate to the Opposition spokesperson copies of the report she recently submitted to the European Commission?
Deputy Browne said the cuckoo was endangered over the last number of years but he cannot blame this Government for that. I would be interested to see the figures—
(Carlow-Kilkenny): I am not blaming any Government for it.
If the Deputy is raising the matter in the House, he must think there could be a political remedy.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): The absence of the cuckoo is not a political issue.
Then why raise it? Let us say it is not a party political issue but it obviously is a political issue. It has not been taken up as yet and I would be interested to hear further from the Deputy on the issue.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): Leave the cuckoo out of politics; there are enough cuckoos already in politics.
The Deputy made the point and asked what we are doing about it. I will find out what the figures are and if figures are available, I will be happy to make them available to him. The Deputy should realise that even if political intervention could help in these matters, the situation has not just deteriorated over the last number of years.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): The Minister is off the track.
This parliamentary question is on the Birds Directive but aside from the first supplementary question from Deputy O'Shea, there have been no questions pertaining to the directive. Deputy Deasy referred to the hedgerows. He will be aware that the first part of the wildlife legislation to be commenced related to hedgerows. If he has a case in mind and believes the law has been transgressed, I will be pleased to hear directly from him.
It is happening all over the country.
He also referred to a census of wildlife. I will come back to him with my views on it. In reply to Deputy O'Shea, I will see if I can get that information directly to him.
