Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will keep it as brief as possible. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. He will see from the wording of my Commencement matter that I am asking him to examine options to deal with the large number of seagulls in the town of Balbriggan in north County Dublin and, indeed, in other large coastal urban areas in north County Dublin. I am raising this issue as many residents in Balbriggan have raised this with me in the last number of months. It is a very big problem in the town at present. I have seen at first hand these aggressive birds attacking people. Children and elderly people are particularly vulnerable to attack from seagulls. Balbriggan has a population of approximately 26,000 people and many older people and children, in particular, have been attacked in recent months and years by the increase in seagulls in the town.Traditionally, seagulls lived at sea and nested on cliffs. Their food source was fish but as fish stocks have diminished over the years, they have moved inland to seek more non-traditional food sources. For example, research established that in 1980 there were approximately 40 pairs of breeding seagulls in Dublin city but it is now estimated there are more than 20,000 breeding pairs in the city. A similar study has not been conducted for north County Dublin but one can only assume that this abnormal increase has been replicated there.

There was a dump near Balbriggan called Balleally landfill, which closed in May 2012. Seagulls had moved there from the sea seeking food and when the dump closed, they had to seek another non-traditional food source, which is why Balbriggan and other coastal towns in north County Dublin became the next hunting ground for them. They used to scavenge at the dump but they have moved into the housing estates and businesses around Balbriggan and this is causing major problems. This needs to be tackled urgently. I would like the Minister of State to outline whether he has plans in this regard. If not, will he set up some plans to deal with this because it is a big issue?

Scientists in the UK are studying the best way to deal with this and to discourage seagulls from nesting in urban areas. They are developing lasers to deter them from nesting. The lasers do not harm the seagulls; they frighten them and deter them from nesting. They are forced to return to the coast and their traditional breeding and hunting grounds on the cliffs and so on. Are there plans to use laser technology here? Hessian sacks are given to householders and businesses in towns in Devon and Cornwall to put their rubbish in because seagulls cannot pick through the sacks. The non-traditional food sources are diminishing in these towns and the patterns of breeding and feeding are changing for the seagulls. Perhaps this measure could also be adopted.

Other measures have been taken such as seagull spikes and oiling of eggs. I do not agree with them but if there are such plans, I would like the Minister of State to address them. If something could be done about the invasion of seagulls in Balbriggan, I would appreciate it, as would the people of the town.