Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 April 2019
358. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the report by Ireland on the conservation status of listed species as required by EU Directive 92/43/EEC due in 2019; if work on this report has commenced; when it will be available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15756/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), each member state is obliged to report on the conservation status of habitats and species, listed in the Annexes to the Directive, every six years. The deadline for submission of assessments for the current reporting period (2013 to 2018) is 30 April 2019.
My Department has carried out substantial work on this report, with the aim of submission to the European Commission by the deadline. The report will be considered by the Commission and, based on previous experience, may be referred back to the Department with queries, which will then be answered as soon as possible.
A final version of individual scientific assessments for the habitats and species will be uploaded to the website of my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service (www.npws.ie) in due course. These assessments will run to over 2000 pages. It is planned to publish an overview summary document in more readable form before the end of 2019.
