Topics / Invasive Species Policy

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

Invasive Species Policy

63 questions from 24 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 14 July 2026.

63
questions
63 written, 0 oral
24
TDs have asked
9
parties and groups
Independents counted together
3
departments asked

Questions per month

The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.

Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
MonthQuestions
January 20252
February 20253
March 20252
April 20251
May 20251
June 20257
July 20252
August 20250
September 202515
October 20251
November 20255
December 20250
January 20260
February 20265
March 20261
April 20265
May 20265
June 20263
July 20265
August 20260
September 20260
October 20260

Who asks, by party

The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.

  • Fianna Fáil11 from 5 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael3 from 1 TD · 38 seats today
  • Green Party1 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent5 from 2 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland7 from 2 TDs · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party3 from 2 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity2 from 2 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin26 from 8 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 9
  2. 6
  3. 6
  4. 5
  5. 4
  6. 4
  7. 4
  8. 3

Asked of

The questions

John Brady Written 13 Nov 2025 · to Housing
337. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to give details of all enforcement actions that have been taken under Section 17(1) of the European Union (Invasive Alien Species) Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 374/2024); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62696/25]
John Brady Written 13 Nov 2025 · to Housing
338. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details on plans to clear Cherry Laurel from the Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62697/25]
John Brady Written 13 Nov 2025 · to Housing
339. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details on costs of removing Cherry Laurel from the Glen of the Downs in County Wicklow for each year from 2000 to 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62698/25]
Michael Cahill Written 12 Nov 2025 · to Agriculture
809. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to urgently examine issues outlined in correspondence (details supplied); in view of correspondence from the Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity to provide an update on the progress of the 2021 Bill to ban imports of non-native honeybees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61700/25]
Erin McGreehan Written 7 Oct 2025 · to Agriculture
480. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the Asian hornet monitoring programme includes dedicated resourcing for ports in response to recent sightings of the Asian hornet. [52933/25]
Ken O'Flynn Written 30 Sep 2025 · to Housing
534. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in view of the risk of rapid spread of invasive asian hornets with multiple confirmed sightings in Cork the contingency and monitoring plans his Department has; the funding allocated in 2025 for eradication or containment; and the way in which the Government will support beekeepers and agricultural/horticultural businesses in high-r…
Paul Murphy Written 24 Sep 2025 · to Housing
76. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware of the harm to the environment caused by the Asian hornet; and if he will instruct his Department to investigate the issue and ensure the population of this invasive species is under control. [50686/25]
Michael Fitzmaurice Written 23 Sep 2025 · to Housing
378. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Statutory Instrument No. 374 of 2024, European Union (invasive Alien Species) Regulations 2024, are retrospective to before the date of the statutory instrument or S.I.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49931/25]
Jennifer Whitmore Written 23 Sep 2025 · to Housing
390. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason a comprehensive review of the national list of invasive alien species is needed before adding a single species, such as Cherry Laurel, given that it has been identified as high-impact by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Coillte, and the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversit…
Jennifer Whitmore Written 23 Sep 2025 · to Housing
391. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to explain the process by which species are added to the national list under the European Union (Invasive Alien Species) Regulations 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50324/25]
Jennifer Whitmore Written 23 Sep 2025 · to Housing
392. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Part 3 (12) of the European Union (Invasive Alien Species) Regulations 2024, which allows the Minister to impose immediate restrictions on invasive alien species not on the EU list if preliminary scientific evidence suggests the species is present or at imminent risk of entering the State, and is likely to meet the criteria…
Jennifer Whitmore Written 23 Sep 2025 · to Housing
393. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the grounds on which Cherry Laurel has not yet been listed as an invasive alien species of national concern, despite repeated recommendations from Ireland's leading environmental and biodiversity bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50326/25]
Ciarán Ahern Written 18 Sep 2025 · to Housing
264. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 1239 of 8 September 2025, the reason a comprehensive review of the entire List of National Concern under the 2024 invasive alien species is required when the purpose of the new list is to give EU Member States the discretion to add species where scientific evidence demands it; the exact process…
Ken O'Flynn Written 17 Sep 2025 · to Housing
659. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in light of the second confirmed Asian hornet nest in Cobh, the immediate and medium-term measures being funded for surveillance and nest eradication in Cork Harbour and adjacent districts; the guidance being issued to beekeepers and the public; and the KPI targets for the detection-to-destruction time and survey coverage that will …
Roderic O'Gorman Written 17 Sep 2025 · to Housing
664. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the dates the Asian hornet nests in Cork were discovered; the dates that the nests were destroyed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48269/25]
Ken O'Flynn Written 8 Sep 2025 · to Housing
1178. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the budget, staffing, and operational plan of the newly formed Asian Hornet Management Group; the timelines for implementation, public outreach campaigns, and inter-departmental coordination mechanisms. [45356/25]
Ken O'Flynn Written 8 Sep 2025 · to Housing
1180. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the specific strategies and resources being mobilised following the recent Asian hornet sighting in County Cork to both eradicate potential nests and safeguard biodiversity, the honeybee population and the substantial economic impact experienced elsewhere in Europe. [45374/25]
Cathal Crowe Written 8 Sep 2025 · to Housing
1257. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide full details on his Department's response to eliminate Asian hornets which a threat to all native Irish pollinators, including honeybees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46506/25]
Ken O'Flynn Written 8 Sep 2025 · to Housing
1259. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the immediate and medium-term biosecurity actions, beekeeper guidance, public reporting protocols and funding for surveillance and eradication of the Asian hornet in Munster for the next 12-months given confirmation of an Asian hornet nest in Cork. [46516/25]
Ken O'Flynn Written 8 Sep 2025 · to Housing
1262. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to detail the operational plan, budget and timelines for eradication, surveillance and public communications following the first confirmed Asian hornet nest in Cork city, including the role of Cork City Council and beekeeper networks; and if weekly situation updates for August–October 2025 will be published. [46607/25]
Danny Healy-Rae Written 8 Jul 2025 · to Agriculture
693. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department will take with the large spread of ragwort, especially on the roadsides of Kerry, as this causes the spread from farm to farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37101/25]
Mairéad Farrell Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Climate
174. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Departmental officials support the conservation of invasive pike (esox lucius) under the Conservation of Pike Bye-Law (No. 809) 2006; if the species is discovered in Lough Inagh, County Galway and Lough Melvin County Leitrim both of which are special areas of conservation protected under the EU Habitats Directive; and if he …
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn Written 17 Jun 2025 · to Housing
492. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a site has extensive growth of an invasive species, and the landowner deliberately and recklessly disrupts and spreads the contaminated soil onto neighbouring properties, public footpath road; other sites, then, what does it take for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to take action to investigate and enforce relev…
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn Written 17 Jun 2025 · to Housing
493. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the policies in place that local authorities must comply with and enforce when a site with a planning application has significant non-native invasive species growth, specifically Japanese knotweed; the responsibilities of the planning authority for planning applications for such sites; the person or body responsible for en…
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn Written 17 Jun 2025 · to Housing
494. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a site has extensive growth of invasive species, the conditions or stipulations that must be applied to the granting of permission prior to commencement of construction such as, should a knotweed management plan be mandated prior to construction especially when an expert report submission advocates for one. [31812/25]