Wildlife Regulations

382. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the engagement his Department has had with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the review of their memorandum of understanding; to confirm if details of the review process have been provided to the organisation; the nature and timing of any such engagement; the current status of the revie…

697. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Irish freshwater catchments were never designated as 'cyprinid' under Article 2 of Council Directive 78/659/EEC, considering that his legacy department introduced S.I. No. 293/1988 - European Communities (Quality of Salmonid Waters) Regulations, under Council Directive 78/659/EEC, which designated …

730. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when it is proposed to reinstate the Sustainable Hunting of Wild Birds Forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40053/26]

343. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has engaged with representative countryside, conservation and rural stakeholder organisations, farming organisations, hunting associations and game management groups, regarding proposed EU restrictions on lead ammunition; and if he will detail the engagement undertaken to date. [35920/26]

347. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his engagements with representatives countryside, conservation and rural stakeholder organisations, farming organisations, hunting associations and game management groups, regarding proposed EU restrictions on lead ammunition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35951/26]

664. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directive; to detail any enforcement or infringement communications received from the EU on this; to confirm if Ireland is on track to meet these targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34568/26]

741. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the unilateral suspension of the Sustainable Hunting of Wild Bird Stakeholder Forum; if he will arrange for the reconvening of the forum and/or the appointment of a new chair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35151/26]

615. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 126 of 16 July 2025 and her predecessors reply in the context of the protection of school children, in addition to her Department’s undertaking “to review this matter with the HSE to determine whether there is a need to communicate further guidance on this matter to schools in the coming te…

991. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No’s 148,149,150,151,152 of 16 July 2025, if he will provide this Deputy with a complete copy of the Department/NPWS’s correspondence concerning gulls and public health and safety with the HSE in 2017 as cited in his reply; if he will also provide copies of any consistent/sim…

992. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No’s 148,149,150,151,152 of 16 July 2025, and his statement in his reply that he is satisfied that the NPWS carries out their functions in a balanced and measured manner in line with the legislative provisions for the protection of wild birds, if he will confirm that he is al…

993. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department or the National Parks and Wildlife Service has issued any public notices that it is perfectly legal under the Wildlife Acts 1976 and 2000 (Amended) to remove nests from occupied buildings provided they do not contain eggs or hatched chicks; if no such public notice has been issued, and …

994. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a summary of all wildlife licences granted in the period 2019 to 2025 in respect of herring gulls and removal of their nests and eggs, such a summary to include the licence date, location, the reason for which licences were sought, the approved control actions; the specific legal grounds fo…

425. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of reported breaches of wildlife protection legislation in each of the past five years involving illegal hunting, coursing, or the use of dogs to kill or injure protected wildlife; the enforcement actions taken by the National Parks and Wildlife Service or other authorised bodies; and whether the Minis…

1832. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to address the dangers to human life caused by roaming deer along all roads in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1001/26]

340. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Section 42 deer hunting licences from 2015 and 2025, by county, by year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62701/25]

341. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of deer that were killed under Section 42 licence for each year between 2015 and 2025, by county, type of deer, in tabular form. [62702/25]

342. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of deer that were killed under standard deer hunting licences, by type, county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62703/25]

1018. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of persons within the National Parks and Wildlife Service who currently hold authorised person status under the Wildlife Acts 1976–2018 and authorised officer status under the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, for each year since 2019, in tabular form; and the …

1019. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times the National Parks and Wildlife Service, acting as the primary lead agency responsible for the enforcement of the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, acted as the lead investigators into alleged breaches of this legislation. [58185/25]

166. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will outline which authority is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act 1919; the measures in place to ensure that property owners comply with their legal obligation to control or destroy rats on their premises; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57437/25]

1145. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider a matter (details supplied) on whether licensing regulations as part of the 1956-2018 Wildlife Acts will be altered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45156/25]

126. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Youth in the context of the protection of schoolchildren, all school staff, teachers, support staff and caretakers, and their health and safety, if he is aware of serious harms being caused (and escalating) for several years now by high density, breeding gull colonies in many schools around the country; if she has noted the recent ve…

148. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out in detail the specific "threats to public health and safety" that underpinned the legal justifications of the derogation for removal of nests and eggs of specified gull species in Balbriggan and its districts each of the years 2017 to 2023 inclusive, including i) such threats as were recognised by …

149. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the context of his Department's advice to his Ministerial predecessor which resulted in the revocation of the Balbriggan derogation (2017-2023, originally granted due to "a threat to public health and safety") for removal of nests and eggs of specified gull species, will the Minister inform the deputy as t…

150. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given that he is no doubt aware that the State's Courts have consistently emphasised that protection of the health and safety of citizens is a paramount duty of the State within our legal framework, if he accepts, and if he will ensure, that protection of citizens' health and safety is, therefore, assuredly p…