Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. The Department is preparing the architecture policy for the State. The most recent one brought us up to 2018. With regard to the comment on birds and buildings it might be wise to tie in with the Department. It is not nearly finished.

Birds are very much indicators of the health of the environment and the losses have ripple effects, not just here at home but internationally, and human interaction is obviously the main contributor to the loss of bird life, through the use of chemicals or pesticides, changes in temperature and other losses in biodiversity. The main point of despair during this Oireachtas term was the passing of the Heritage Act, of which the witnesses are well aware. We worked with BirdWatch Ireland on it. I welcome the call to repeal the Act. We have not had that call yet. There were a number of high-profile cases during the 2019 nesting season regarding hedgerow cutting, some of which were conducted by public bodies. How prevalent is hedgerow cutting during the nesting season? Is it going unreported?