Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas ag ghabháil leis an Cheann Comhairle as ucht an ábhair tábhachtach seo a roghnú. Tréaslaím ar an gcéad dul síos leis an mbeirt Aire Stáit, mo chairde Jerry Buttimer agus Neale Richmond, atá i láthair. Tá mé cinnte go ndéanfaidh siad sár-jab sna poist atá acu agus leis na dualgais atá acu le comhlíonadh. Tréaslaím chomh maith leis an Teachta nua ó Chill Dara Thuaidh, mo comhghleacaí, Aodhán Ó Fearghaíl.

The Curragh is an almost 5,000 acre plain located between Newbridge, Kildare and Kilcullen. It is a limestone plain that lies over a massive aquifer with the potential to supply water to many parts of the county and perhaps the country. It is a valuable national and local resource. We have a problem, which has existed for many years in some aspects, insofar as it is used, quite correctly, by the bloodstock sector, the sheep farming sector, by the Defence Forces and for recreation and amenity purposes by the public, but there has never been any effective control or management of those uses. I would not want to see any of those uses inhibited but I would like to see them managed. In the past six or eight years, however, we have seen a new phenomenon develop where hordes of caravans descend upon the Curragh plains between the months of June and, last year, October. In the early years they could be numbered in the dozens. There were almost uncountable numbers present in 2024 at a variety of locations across the Curragh plains. The cost of the clean-up after this unauthorised holiday camp was eventually vacated was something of the order of €190,000 just for one year.

Could anyone in this Chamber imagine the Phoenix Park being invaded and turned into an unofficial holiday camp? Could anyone imagine it with the lakes of Killarney, Glenveagh National Park, or any other resource of similar importance in the country? No, they could not, and it would never happen. Why would it never happen? Because there is an effective management structure in place for those resources. No such resource exists in respect of the Curragh.

In 2015, I published a Bill attempting to set out criteria under which a consultative body could at least be appointed. This would have been made up of the interested users and would have included Kildare County Council. The programme for Government says that the Government will operate a conservation plan for the Curragh and will seek to identify the agency best suited to manage the historic plains. I have no doubt but that my constituency colleague, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, who was one of the negotiators of the programme for Government, was instrumental in ensuring that provision was included in the plan. It is great to have it there. The plan for Government is full of wonderful aspirations but this is one that must be acted on urgently. We cannot have a recurrence in 2025 of what we had in Kildare in 2024. When is there going to be action? There needs to be effective action before June of this year.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I take this debate on behalf of the Tánaiste as his Minister of State. If it is appropriate, I will pay credit to the Deputy for his time in the Chair and for his mentoring and guidance of new TDs the first time they rose in a debate like this. My first Topical Issue was during the height of the first lockdown of the Covid pandemic. These are far more comfortable surroundings for those who will be making their first interventions.

As State land vested in the Minister for Defence, the Curragh is recognised as a working environment for the State's Defence Forces as well as being a place of historical and cultural importance. The main occupiers are the Defence Forces at the Curragh Camp and the Curragh Racecourse, which leases a large tract of land. In addition, the plains are used by sheep owners who avail of rights of pasture on the lands and both locals and visitors to Kildare as a major natural amenity that I am sure we have all enjoyed at various times.

By our measurement, the Curragh is 4,870 acres and it is one of the most open and accessible areas in the country. While I would not wish to see this level of accessibility diminished, as a public representative, I know the Deputy is acutely aware that this has presented a number of challenges for management, which he has laid out, in respect of illegal camping and also in respect of illegal dumping. It is not just the camping; there are other impacts.

Many illegal encampments were set up over the course of the summer months of 2024. This caused a great deal of disruption and anxiety for local stakeholders, as the Deputy has alluded to. The Department of Defence does not accept that those occupying these encampments have any right to reside on the Curragh Plains and, as such, has been engaged with the CSSO in anticipation of any potential trespassing to ensure that all legal steps are taken promptly to protect the plains. In the case of trespass or criminal damage, it is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána to police the situation. The Department of Defence has already engaged with An Garda on this issue.

With a view to addressing these challenges in the longer term, as the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Defence is working to ensure that we move to a modern and sustainable regulatory model in managing this historically important landscape. As the Deputy will be aware, for the past several years, the Department of Defence has been collaborating with Kildare County Council on the Curragh consultancy project, seeking to develop a suitable future management method and to highlight the importance and significance of the plains. The project came to completion in December 2024 when the Curragh Plains conservation management plan and the associated branding, interpretation and wayfinding strategy were published. The consultation process identified the need for a review of the Curragh by-laws and the Curragh of Kildare Act and potential amendments to provide effective solutions to the challenges faced. The report also identified the need to consider a dedicated agency responsible for the Curragh or to assign responsibility for the site to an existing agency with the necessary expertise.

Throughout the project, both the Department of Defence and Kildare County Council remained cognisant of the need to have in place a means of ensuring the conservation of this ancient landscape while also enabling the area to receive the recognition it deserves. The plan laid out opportunities through which the area can be uniquely identified and also scoped out the development potential of the area as a high-value visitor attraction. It also aims to balance the needs of the various users.

This Government is committed to the implementation of these recommendations to address both the opportunities and the challenges, as can be seen by its inclusion in the programme for Government, which the Deputy alluded to. I appreciate his magnanimous reference to my colleague, Deputy Heydon, which is merited. However, it is also a reflection of Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's consistent advocacy in this area and the draft legislation he produced in 2015. I thank the Deputy again for raising this question and I assure him that it is the intention of the Tánaiste to ensure that the Curragh Plains are protected into the future as an important element of our shared heritage while we also ensure maximum benefit to the local population and those who come to visit. On the Deputy's question as to the timeline, I cannot provide an exact timeline at the moment but it is a pressing need and the Minister for Defence intends to intervene.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the fact that, having raised this on Questions on Promised Legislation last week, the Tánaiste subsequently spoke to me and indicated that it was a priority for him. However, I have to stress that the wheels of democracy and of our systems move very slowly. I also put it to the Minister of State that the Department of Defence has been remiss in dealing with An Garda Síochána. As far as I am concerned, An Garda Síochána has been active in trying to deal with the situation that has existed. There is a High Court order dating back 20 years that empowers An Garda and the Department of Defence to do something about illegal encampments. When it came to the crunch, the Department of Defence told An Garda to do nothing and not to proceed. We cannot continue to do nothing. Something must be put in place before this summer comes. We cannot allow this to happen. It is not just about the degradation of the plains, the real damage that is being done to the bloodstock industry or the impeding of the recreational use of the Curragh; it is about the risks that arise from large-scale unauthorised development of any nature taking place in an area where there is a total lack of control. That is the particular problem. If something happens and somebody is injured or hurt or if some other travesty occurs, we will all be very seriously concerned but the point is that we now have a short period of time in which to take action. I urge that action be taken immediately.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl for his supplementary contribution. For the information of the House, as the Minister with responsibility for defence, the Tánaiste is the custodian and guardian of the Curragh lands pursuant to the provisions of the Curragh of Kildare Act 1961. Under that Act, the Curragh Plains are recognised as a working environment for the State's Defence Forces as well as being a place of historical and cultural importance.

As I have already stated, the Tánaiste remains absolutely and fully committed to pursuing a modern and sustainable regulatory model in managing the historically important landscape that is the Curragh. The Curragh Plains conservation management plan, having been finalised and published in December 2024, is currently under consideration by officials in the Department of Defence. I take on board the Deputy's very sincere concern that this needs to be considered and acted upon in advance of the summer months. I will take that back to the Tánaiste but, as already alluded to, he is well aware of the need for this to be acted on swiftly. The conservation management plan will provide the foundation for implementing the recommendations identified, including the progression of that management. Any such proposals will be brought before Government to decide on a future management structure. I reiterate that it is the intention of the Tánaiste to ensure that the Curragh Plains are protected into the future while we also ensure maximum benefit. It is simply unacceptable that nothing is done. Something very serious has to be done. The Tánaiste and the Government have accepted that. Work has commenced on doing that and on making sure the plan is implemented and enforced. Enforcement will be key to this. I fully take on board the comments the Deputy has made regarding court orders but I will not delve too far into them. He will understand why more than anyone else in this House would. I will raise this with the Tánaiste again tomorrow and I will make sure the Deputy is kept fully abreast of the matter.