Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Murphy for her question. My Department is committed to consultation with relevant interested parties in relation to ongoing policy decisions on hunting and conservation. As a member of the European Union, Ireland is obliged to comply with various directives and regulations that relate to conservation and game hunting. The EU has played a very significant role in developing minimum standards of protection for certain wildlife species and their habitats, and in the first instance, policy on conservation and game hunting is developed under the legal framework set down by EU law. In meeting these legal requirements and developing our own national policies, my Department is keen to engage with all relevant stakeholders. There is a recognition that policy needs to be achievable, workable and should strike a balance between the needs of humans and the needs of wildlife.

There is ongoing communication on a wide range of issues pertaining to the work of the NPWS. Examples include conservation schemes, a new e-licensing system for deer hunters, and the development this year of a new wild mammals open-seasons order that extended the hunting season. There are also a number of structures in place to ensure communication in relation to rural interests. For instance, earlier this year, the sustainable hunting of wild birds stakeholder forum was established. Mr. Teddy Cashman has been appointed as chair of this forum. The forum will facilitate discussions and collaboration across relevant sectors on the issue of sustainable hunting. All relevant stakeholders will be brought together to discuss a shared vision for sustainable hunting and to present recommendations to the Minister. A series of bilateral meetings with relevant stakeholders has commenced and the first full forum meeting of all relevant stakeholders will take place by the end of quarter 3 2024. I give my commitment to that.

A further example is the national biodiversity forum which comprises 15 to 20 members, including representatives of landowners, farmers, industry, natural heritage and environmental NGOs. The role of the forum includes improving stakeholder engagement and public awareness and understanding of biodiversity.

As the Deputy will be aware, the NPWS and my Department commenced a review of wildlife legislation today. This is an extensive review and is a multi-year project. It is examining closely the effectiveness of our legislation in protecting wildlife and regulating activities that adversely impact on wildlife and biodiversity. As part of this project, last year, my Department held early engagement meetings with 18 of the key stakeholders. It sought their broad initial views on what aspects of our legislation were weak, what needed to be improved, what was missing and what did not work for them. The engagement included farming groups, representatives of hunting organisations and game sports, and environmental organisations. My Department is committed to further meetings with national organisations with an interest in this area as the project develops and the need arises. We see the hunting sector as doing important work for conservation. As I said, a public consultation process commenced today. This will be the first of many phases of consultation. I encourage all interested parties to submit their views using this process and engage with the process as it develops. All submissions received will be carefully considered.

Regarding the NARGC, I checked back on the meeting schedule. I met the organisation four times. I spoke at its annual conference as well. There is a bit of confusion about the stakeholder groups. Along with officials from the NPWS, we host bilateral meetings with many environmental, community and stakeholder groups on a wide range of local and national issues. A meeting was held in June 2023 with a number of environmental NGOs, including the IEN. This is an umbrella network that represents more than 35 NGOs. A number of bilateral meetings have been held in the interim. To be clear, this was not a meeting of the structured stakeholder forum, as membership and the terms of reference for such a group have not been agreed. Throughout my tenure as Minister of State, my door has always been open. I am more than happy to meet any group to discuss any issue. There has been a lot of misinformation about the meetings I did or did not have with representative organisations. However, I do see the NARGC as an important stakeholder in the conservation of wildlife.

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