Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is a point well made. I will give a commitment. The Deputy is correct in what he is saying. I will try to paint a broader picture of what we are trying to achieve. This is the first real test of the national biodiversity action plan and how it beds in with legislation. What we are attempting to achieve, as we said in the plan, is an all-of-government and all-of-society response. It therefore has to be reflected across all Government Departments, not just our own. The biodiversity duty that came through in the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2023 is critically important to that. The Deputy will appreciate that this legislation was drafted and published before that. That is not to say that it is strong enough in terms of biodiversity because it is not. It is important that we strengthen it further. I absolutely and wholeheartedly accept the spirit behind the amendments that Deputies have put forward in good faith and that they feel frustrated that the Bill is not as strong as it could be. However, it must be appreciated that we have just adopted the plan and that the biodiversity duty is there. There is now an obligation on public bodies to ensure they align with the national biodiversity action plan.

We are about to embark on work on the nature restoration plan. Regardless of the outcome of discussions in Europe, that is going to be very significant, particularly for urban development as regards sustainable urban drainage and nature-based solutions. The climate and nature fund will underpin the delivery of those programmes on the ground. Our development plans will also be critically important because that is where the granular detail of setting about these actions will be laid down. I want to ensure that this plan is implemented in full at every level and every tier of our system, in national policy and in how that beds down at local community level. We heard the criticism of the third plan and how it underachieved. There were actions in it that were open-ended and not concluded. We want to ensure this plan is delivered and implemented in full. In that regard, I will give a commitment to strengthen the Bill with specific regard to biodiversity.