Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
2454. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 250 of 25 March 2021, if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; his views on whether the timeline given by his Department in relation to the matter of two-to-three months is a misleading timeline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18539/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn my previous response to the Deputy on this matter, I noted that an ecologist will examine the application within two to three months of receipt of a Natura Impact Statement (NIS). I further noted that a decision would issue once the full assessment of the application is complete. This does not necessarily mean that the decision will issue within two to three months of receipt of a NIS, merely that the ecological assessment will normally be completed in that time. The NIS and/or the ecological assessment may occasionally raise further queries, which must be resolved before a final decision on the application will issue.
I would like to take this opportunity to set out for the Deputy the sequence of events in relation to the application noted in the details supplied. The application was first submitted to my Department in November 2017 and referred to the local authority. The applicant and the Registered Forester concerned were requested to provide further information, to which no response was received and the application was withdrawn. Upon request by the forester, in August, 2018 the application was reinstated, referred to my Department’s Archaeology Unit and to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). A report was received from the Department’s Archaeologist in April 2019. At the same time, a reminder was sent to the NPWS, but their response was not received until late June 2019. The application was referred to my Department’s Ecology Unit in July 2019.
The Ecologist determined that a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) would be required and this was requested in September 2019. The NIS was not received until December 2020 and was immediately referred again to my Department’s Ecology Unit. The ecological assessment was completed in February 2021, well within the two to three months timeframe given in the response to the Dáil Question to which the Deputy refers. The application was returned to the Forestry District Inspector (DI). However, a matter arose during the DI’s final assessment of the application that required the referral of the application to An Taisce. A final decision was made on the application, which was issued to the applicant and their Registered Forester in April 2021.
