Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the written copy of her speech. It is helpful to have it in my hands. I congratulate her on the €25 million allocation for the arts. She clearly listened to the groups working on the ground. The next step is detailed in their 13-point plan. The Minister has answered one of those points and there are 12 other points they have asked for action on. We cannot put a value on the arts so I urge the Minister to go back and follow up on her good work on that.

The Minister mentioned two sectoral plans and biodiversity. She acknowledged the biodiversity issue and it is certainly in crisis. I will quote the recent report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for as long as I am in the Dáil. It leaves little room for doubt about the lack of diversity. It says that 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, more than ever before in human history. I look at that and at the wonderful plans there are on paper. Then I look at Galway and we have had a biodiversity plan for six years but believe it or not, we do not have a biodiversity officer. I asked the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy English, why that is so last week and he told me it is a matter for city and county councillors. I go back to the local authority and we have to play all of these games and go through all of these hoops to be told by the chief executive that as of mid-March 2020, there is a moratorium on planned recruitment that was initially budgeted for this year and the appointment of a biodiversity officer is included in that moratorium. The Minister might look at that and try to answer that question for me if we are seriously interested in implementing a biodiversity plan.

I want to focus on one matter and the Minister might have a minute to look at it for me. There are so many aspects but I am looking at the islands when we are talking about biodiversity. I cannot imagine better places to start than with the three Aran Islands and Inishbofin, which happen to be in my constituency, but I highlight all islands in the country. We begged the Government to do up a policy on the islands. If Covid-19 has highlighted anything, it has highlighted how vulnerable the islands are, with the lack of a policy, legislation and serious action on them. I know a task force was set up but almost a year later there has been little progress. Covid-19 interrupted matters and the meetings had to be stopped for a while but I would have thought that, given the history and the fact that we had an interdepartmental task force as far back as 1996 and given that the problems are obvious, there would be more action and quicker action. I would like an answer on that. Where is the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on this because it is the lead Department?

Let me point out a few practical matters. The three Aran Islands, two in particular, are struggling with a lack of water. In the time of Covid-19, there is no water. Sometimes they have water for half a day. They are struggling with a fodder crisis and they have been dried out in recent months. We all delighted in that hot weather but they are suffering as a result with no fodder for the cattle. They are struggling with the absence of basic work on quays, such as Céibh an Chaladh Mhóir on Inis Meáin and the céibh on Inis Oírr. These are simple problems but the county council did not use the money available. There is a balance involved with the power available to local authorities but there is also a role for the Department in overseeing basic stuff being carried out on the islands to ensure the islanders can have a sustainable living.

I will leave the Minister a minute to respond to me on the Department's policy on the islands. Where is that at and can the Minister respond to me on the issue of a biodiversity officer for Galway?

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