Dáil debates

Thursday, 11 November 2021

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Environmental Policy

9:30 am

Photo of Steven MatthewsSteven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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6. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on the role that biodiversity officers play in local authorities; his views on a nationwide roll-out of these positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53501/21]

Photo of Steven MatthewsSteven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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In the week of COP26, when the nations of the world have come together to address the climate emergency, we should not forget the other emergency, the biodiversity emergency. I would like to ask the Minister about the role of biodiversity officers in local authorities and his view on having a biodiversity officer for every local authority across the country.

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. It is important, relevant and particularly timely. Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each local authority chief executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. The role and duties of biodiversity officers comprise a matter for local authorities within the context of their wider obligations under the relevant legislation. Importantly, however, the programme for Government outlines our ambition to tackle the biodiversity crisis and provides a framework for meeting the challenges that we face in doing so. Local authorities are uniquely positioned, within their own biodiversity plans and working with communities, to help to halt biodiversity loss in their areas. Biodiversity officers are a key part of this and are crucial to the implementation of the actions for biodiversity at local and regional levels.

My Department is committed to supporting each local authority in the important role it plays in the implementation of actions contained in the national biodiversity action plan. Right as we speak, my officials are working on establishing a programme to facilitate the roll-out of biodiversity officers within local authorities nationwide. That will be a step change in how we tackle biodiversity loss all around the country.

The investment of my Department in biodiversity officer programmes through support of local authorities will enhance the efforts to deliver benefits for biodiversity. In that context, I and the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, have allocated €600,000 in 2022 towards this programme. We want to see a real change in 2022.

9:40 am

Photo of Steven MatthewsSteven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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That is positive news. Like the Minister, I know the really good work that is done at local authority level. For example, the heritage officer of Wicklow County Council does a significant amount of work in this area. However, the roll-out of biodiversity officers to all local authorities would assist heritage officers, planning services and local and district engineers as they attempt to tackle some of the causes of biodiversity loss. We know the main factors are habitat fragmentation, loss of habitats, pesticides, pollution, invasive species and, of course, climate change. Wicklow County Council established a climate and biodiversity strategic policy committee. It was one of the first local authorities to do so. The addition of a biodiversity officer to Wicklow County Council, and the other councils across the country that are doing that good work would be a very positive move to address that issue. We are facing a real emergency and crisis in the context of biodiversity.

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is 100% correct that it is a real emergency and needs to be tackled. Right now, five local authorities - Fingal, which is my local authority, Wexford, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Dublin and Kerry - employ biodiversity officers, so there are 26 other local authorities where we have to get dedicated biodiversity officers in place. Neither I nor the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, want that role to be shared across other functions. It is crucial. There is a need to have a person at local authority level to bring communities and community activists, who are so prevalent on the ground, together. I refer to the work communities have done, such as in my area of Fingal, where rewetting programmes have been successfully completed. That work has been from the ground up and there is a need for a person at local authority level who is able to co-ordinate it. The allocation for 2022 is €600,000. I and the Ministers of State, Deputies Noonan and Burke, will be encouraging local government to fill those posts and get them up and running. We have a really good national biodiversity plan that needs implementation on the ground and we intend to do that.

Photo of Steven MatthewsSteven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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I thank the Minister. I hope to see Wicklow County Council added to the list of local authorities with a dedicated biodiversity officer. I have spoken to the chief executive of the council on this issue and will be speaking to him later today to encourage him to engage on that role and apply to the €600,000 fund. I note the positive work being done by the Department in terms of the resourcing of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the funding allocation that has brought it back up to its previous levels. I refer to the work that has been done by the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, on the river basin management plans and the work done on marine protected areas. It is a massive challenge in the context of the interconnection of the marine and terrestrial environments. I am encouraged by the work that is being done by the Department and the message sent today by the Minister in terms of his support for the roll-out of biodiversity officers across the country.

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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We support every local authority in any way we can. The Deputy, as Chairman of the joint Oireachtas committee, has an important role in encouraging local authorities to get up and running in this space. We have a lot of work to do. There is no question about that. As I stated, we have a robust plan to arrest the decline in biodiversity and it needs to be led at local level. The biodiversity grant scheme is still supporting actions around the country. Approximately €1.35 million was made available in 2021 and 119 projects were supported across the country. However, it could be even better if we have people leading that on the ground. We want this to happen. We have provided the finance for it. It is good that the Deputy has already spoken to the chief executive of Wicklow County Council. I encourage all Deputies representing local authority areas where there is no biodiversity officer to engage with their local authority and ensure those posts are filled. I have no doubt they will be well over-subscribed as there is such an interest in this issue and as we have great expertise in this country.

Question No. 7 replied to with Written Answers.