Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I seek clarification on one point that has been made. The Department has asked farmers to consider how they can move from tier 3 to tier 2. Farmers with bird breeding grounds on their lands are tier 1. As I live near Lough Derg, I know there are a lot of areas around it, and also in east Clare lakelands and across Clare, that are bird habitats. The habitats have been noted as such by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is proposed to make some of the habitats natural heritage areas, NHAs, which are not included in the scheme. I have been told by a representative of the National Parks and Wildlife Service that it was told by the Department that the Department was uninterested and did not want to hear about any more bird nesting habitats. A certain number of habitats have been named, designated and included, but a whole lot of other areas, which clearly are and can be verifiably demonstrated by the NPWS through reports by rangers, etc., to be nesting areas, are not included in the scheme. As suggested in the media, a new scheme will open in the autumn. If so, will the Department accept new information on nesting and bird habitats? This would enable farmers to move from tier 3 to tier 2 and even from tier 3 to tier 1 status.