Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have a sad record of being taken to the European courts for the non-implementation and non-enforcement of directives. It has been discussed many times at this committee. An example is the aquaculture industry and the disaster that led from non-compliance with the habitats directive. The Minister can argue the habitats directive is the responsibility of another Department and can ask why it should be the responsibility of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. However, it is having a major impact. It is not good enough to say it is the responsibility of the EPA or the local authority and for that to be the reason it is not included in the Forestry Bill. It would provide a defence for the Department if forestry related matters were the subject of a case before the European courts. It would show we were trying to apply the directive rather than saying it was someone else's problem.