Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to discuss the need to establish the promised countryside forum for nature. As a Deputy representing a rural constituency, I have a deep understanding of the importance of striking a balance between protecting our countryside and preserving and supporting the economic social and cultural interests and traditions of those who live in, work in and enjoy the countryside. Engaging with, giving voice to and actively listening to rural stakeholders is critical to achieving this balance.

In 2021, a review of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, recommended the creation of a nature advisory committee with a wide stakeholder base. That council was not established. The subsequent strategic action plan for the NPWS which was approved by Cabinet agreed to establish a stakeholder forum with an implementation deadline of September 2022. That deadline was not met. The stakeholder forum was never established. Earlier this year the NPWS agreed a memorandum of understanding with the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC, with an establishment deadline of 30 June this year. That deadline was not met. That countryside forum for nature has not yet been established.

There appears to be a recurring pattern here. Commitments are made but they are not delivered on and deadlines continue to slip. Unfortunately, rural communities and stakeholders bear the consequences. It is those communities, those representative bodies and organisations, those local people I have met time and again that I wish to speak up for here today to make sure that their voices are heard and this commitment is met.

I accept there are specific sectoral forums on issues such as nature restoration and sustainable bird hunting.

However, there is no single overarching forum whereby rural stakeholders - not just game hunters but also farming groups, rural sports groups, conservation groups and environmental NGOs - can sit around the same table with the NPWS to discuss a national policy approach to conserving nature, wildlife and the habitats that make up rural Ireland's countryside, while keeping balance with the rights, traditions and interests of the people who call that countryside their home, workplace and haven. The Government has approved the establishment of this forum, possibly for a third time now. The NPWS has signed a memorandum of understanding with the NARGC committing to its creation. Rural Ireland, including the people I represent in rural Ireland, and these groups are waiting for the forum to become operational. There is no excuse for any further delay at this stage and there is certainly no excuse for missing a third forum to which the Government has committed.

I ask for update on when the first meeting will happen and request that progress be made immediately. In particular, I ask for a date for the first forum meeting.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan.

The NPWS is committed to strengthening its engagement with all stakeholders and, accordingly, has established a number of fora through which the Minister of State and his officials meet stakeholders. In addition, there are multiple informal contacts and discussions that happen on a regular basis.

The sustainable hunting of wild birds stakeholder forum was established in 2024 and has met on several occasions. The forum comprises a wide range of stakeholders, including the NARGC. Stakeholders are also involved in various fora relating to the development of the nature restoration plan. The Minister of State values the work carried out by the NARGC, and he and his officials hold meetings with representatives from that organisation on a regular basis. The NPWS also engages regularly with farming representatives in the designated area monitoring committee. While the NPWS had committed to establishing a wider stakeholder forum, officials are unable to progress this at this time due to other priorities, including an inordinately large number of judicial reviews of aspects of planning, nature conservation and its work. NPWS staff participate in multiple interagency and sectoral committees and are active in myriad stakeholder engagements, including with the NARGC.

The Minister of State welcomes the opportunity to confirm to the House the Government’s continuing commitment to nature, the countryside, and the broader biodiversity agenda. Members will be aware that, in the context of budget 2026, the combined operating, capital and current allocation for the NPWS exceeded €100 million for the first time in the service's history. This figure is not merely symbolic. It represents a tangible investment in the protection and restoration of our natural heritage and underscores the Government’s recognition that biodiversity and a healthy countryside are essential to our national well-being and our economic and social future.

Over the past five years, the Government has supported a range of initiatives to strengthen engagement with citizens and communities on nature and heritage issues. These initiatives include the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, the young people’s assembly on biodiversity loss, a series of annual biodiversity conferences and the annual Heritage Ireland 2030 conference. Right now, we are in the middle of community conversations in relation to the nature restoration law. There is a veritable cascade of committees working with the independent advisory committee in the context of developing our national nature restoration plan. The National Association of Regional Gun Clubs is represented in those key fora. These fora, together with extensive consultation with farming, environmental, community and recreational stakeholders, reflect an unprecedented level of public dialogue and co-operation on the future of Ireland's countryside. One of the many valued participants in that conversation is the NARGC, which, along with a myriad of other community and national organisations, plays an important role in the stewardship of rural landscapes. Its input and that of all such organisations is both recognised and appreciated. The Minister of State wants to be clear that he is committed to ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to engage constructively with the NPWS.

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan. I appreciate that this is not directly his departmental area but I must express my concern at the initial response. In 2021, the nature advisory committee was committed to but not established. In 2022, the stakeholder forum was committed to but not established and I am worrying now, based on the reply, that we are seeing a third forum being promised but not being established and another group of organisations in rural Ireland being let down. We still do not have a clear commitment or a date for the establishment of the countryside forum for nature. Rural communities have been waiting for years for a forum where stakeholders, including farmers, rural sports groups, and conservation organisations, can come together to discuss policy on nature, wildlife and habitats in a balanced and constructive way. While progress has been promised on multiple occasions, deadlines have slipped and I am worried that we are about to see more deadlines slipping.

The NPWS has signed a memorandum of understanding and I cannot comprehend how it can do that, commit to a date for a meeting to take place and then turn around, mere months after missing that date, and say that it is too busy to do it. How does the NPWS have the authority to sign something, commit to it and say to representative bodies that it is going to do something, and then turn around and say it is too busy with other things, has too many other commitments and cannot make it happen? A commitment has been made to the NARGC, a very good body that wants to work with the Government and the NPWS and other State agencies for the betterment of rural Ireland in the context of conservation activities. There are other groups that want to be involved too, in the one room, informing policy on a very important area for the people whom I represent. I ask the Minister of State to bring my concern back to the NPWS and the Minister of State and make it very clear to them how disappointed I am, on behalf of these groups, that they are possibly being let down again.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Since taking office, the Minister of State, Deputy O’Sullivan, has been acutely conscious of the extensive engagement that has taken place with the NARGC, particularly in the context of the wild birds forum. At the same time, he must acknowledge that the NPWS operates within finite resources and that its executive and ecological capacity is already under significant pressure. The service faces a challenging and demanding agenda. It is responsible for the drafting and delivery of Ireland's nature restoration plan; the management of over 90 sites in State ownership; compliance and oversight across more than 600 Natura 2000 sites; the processing of over 11,000 permits and licences each year; statutory consultation on planning and development proposals; international compliance with a range of binding instruments; and 5 million visitors per annum to its sites. All of this represents a substantial and complex workload. Moreover, the upcoming EU Presidency will place additional demands on the same teams and key personnel.

In that context, the Minister of State has asked that a review be undertaken of all existing memoranda of understanding and the commitments arising from them. Specifically with regard to the MoU with the NARGC and in light of the current workload and overlapping responsibilities, he does not now believe it would be feasible to convene the cited forum before 2026 and certainly not before the work of the wild birds forum is concluded as he does not have the resources or the capacity to service two fora that would ostensibly cover the same subject area at the same time. This is not a reflection of any lack of value placed on that engagement. Rather, it is a practical response to the scale of the service’s current obligations and the need to ensure that all sectors receive fair and balanced attention. The Minister of State must also be mindful of the legal context in which these interactions occur and of the advice available to his Department in that regard.