Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Duggan and her colleagues for coming in. I do not know whether I am happy or depressed to have heard what Ms Duggan just said. I will ask a number of questions and I invite any of the witnesses to answer them. They might give partial answers here but they might give more specific answers because I know they have to run through something for seven or eight minutes, which does not really allow the witnesses to stop and really go into these matters. Who is really listening to BirdWatch Ireland? Is there anybody listening? Who is seriously listening to BirdWatch Ireland? I know the witnesses are seriously listening to themselves because without all those volunteers, ornithologists and people interested in birds involved in its organisations, it would not even be out the door.

How does BirdWatch Ireland feel that the Government's announcement of the natural environment emergency, which was a major announcement, will help it? What is the practicality of that? Since that announcement, have there been promises and what are those? It is one thing to announce an emergency but it is another thing to announce pillars around what will be done about it and how the different aspects of it will be tackled.

This next matter is a bugbear of mine and the Chairman will know this. Does BirdWatch Ireland think there is a case now, which BirdWatch Ireland should be making, along with all our natural environment bodies, for a Department of natural environment? In other words, the stage should not be shared with culture or language, which are also important, but we have come to the stage where a Department of natural environment is as important as a Department of Finance because it has so many leaves of our lives in it. What does BirdWatch Ireland think about that?

There seems to be a lot of advice for farmers. There is never a lot of advice for industry and for construction. Why is attention not being paid to those? I know there is an intensification of farming but there is also an intensification of building and that affects our seabirds. Is there advice for those companies? Is BirdWatch Ireland involved in such communication?

There was one sentence in the opening statement that is an example of something I would like the witnesses to explain. One of my favourite species of birds in the whole world are swifts because they are such geniuses. Education plays a huge part in this with young people because they have more of a sense of what is in the air than we possibly had. In its opening statement, BirdWatch Ireland stated "The most important action which could be taken by government is to ensure that sectoral policies are coherent with the policies and legal obligations to protect and conserve biodiversity, including our wild birds and their habitats." That is so convoluted. What does BirdWatch Ireland mean by that?

That is about all. I thank the witnesses but we should have more from them and we need to hear more from BirdWatch Ireland at this level all the time. Members of the committee run in and out of here from attending meetings about finance, insurance, education and needs but we need to hear from the witnesses far more. BirdWatch Ireland needs to demand that it is here just as much as the other groups that seem to be in all the different committees because everything it is saying has a part to play in every committee, not just this committee, but also the Joint Committee on Education and Skills and the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. BirdWatch Ireland has so much to say. One of the most important things Ms Duggan said was that the birds will tell us how healthy our environment is. It is all in that sentence. I want to see BirdWatch Ireland more, so the witnesses should think about how they can come into the Houses more. It is as important for them to speak to every committee, including the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach, and all of these committees where everybody runs the issue of health into them. BirdWatch Ireland has as much of a right to be there and as great a part to play.

That could be easily done, especially in this climate. We need a Department of natural environment. Maybe that will set the witnesses off or drive them crazy but they might answer some of those questions. They are points of discussion as opposed to questions.