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Invasive Plant Species

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 July 2018

Wednesday, 4 July 2018

Ceisteanna (355)

Declan Breathnach

Ceist:

355. Deputy Declan Breathnach asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures being taken to manage and resolve the issue of Japanese knotweed in County Louth; her plans to introduce measures or grant schemes to assist landowners that have an infestation of Japanese knotweed to eradicate it in view of the fact that it is costly and onerous on landowners without such a scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29622/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

My Department is responsible for the implementation of the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 477/2011), both of which prohibit the spreading of invasive species.

In law, control of invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed is a matter in the first instance, for landowners. In this regard, my Department carries out considerable work on controlling invasive species in National Parks and Nature Reserves but has neither the legal ambit nor the resources required to extend such work into urban areas or the wider countryside, and is not in a position at present to provide dedicated funds for such work direct to landowners.

There is significant work, however, being carried out at present by a range of agencies in this area, including a number of local authorities. In addition, the Management of Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS), launched in 2016 and led by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, is a €5.5 million project aimed at managing invasive knotweed and other non-native invasive plant species on the national road network and its interactions with regional roads. The project involves collaboration with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS).

While my Department does not collect data from local authorities on the incidence of Japanese Knotweed in their areas, information on the distribution of invasive species in Ireland, including Knotweed, is available on the invasive species section of the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) website at http://maps.biodiversityireland.ie.

Information on general management approaches to invasive plant species is available from the Invasive Species Ireland website: http://invasivespeciesireland.com/toolkit/invasive-plant-management/

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