Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle.

I come from the arts capital of the world, which, as all Members know, is west Cork. We have a festival for every form of art that one can think of, including storytelling, poetry, jazz festivals and guitar festivals. You name it, we have it. Our traditions, gigs and festivals are under severe threat. While artists and organisers are showing a bit of innovation and they are doing Facebook live and Zoom sessions, this is not replacing the thrill of going to a physical gig or going to the theatre.

The brutal reality is that it is estimated that there is €2.9 million lost per month to the arts. A recent Arts Council survey estimated that the loss since the pandemic has been in the region of €10 million. That does not even bring into account the 23,000 artists and arts workers who are being impacted. Livelihoods are under direct and ongoing threat and although there will be a easing of restrictions, we do not know when people will feel safe to gather physically once again. Without doubt, the arts will be vital to our economic and societal recovery and we need to stand by them and support them.

Natural heritage is a big part of the Minister's portfolio. I am a birdwatcher. I am a twitcher, possibly the first twitcher ever to have been elected to the Dáil. I was appalled and devastated to see the massacre of 23 common buzzards in my own constituency of Cork South-West. These are a majestic species that had just begun to re-establish themselves in my county. They had become a firm favourite with members of the public and with farmers who enjoyed them soaring in the skies above their land. This is the largest killing of a protected species in ten years and it was done using a substance that has been banned since 2001.

What is the Department is doing to tackle the use of this lethal banned substance. The crime took place in December but it did not come to light until last weekend. The 2019 report filed under the recording and addressing persecution and threats to our raptors, RAPTOR, protocol did not include these deaths. Why is this the case? Can the Minister provide details of any investigation of the incident and any ongoing investigations? The Minister said yesterday that there have been no prosecutions under the Wildlife Act 1976 since 2016. She said that there is a wildlife crime investigation unit within her Department, but I am led to believe that is not the case; there is a wildlife investigation committee. I am asking the Minister to please establish a wildlife crime investigation unit that is properly resourced, staffed and funded so that these horrific crimes against wildlife can be stamped out.

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