Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful to the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter. While I welcome the Minister of State, I was hoping to see the Minister, Deputy Madigan, here. This is a very serious issue which is compromising and crippling development in rural Ireland. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, which comes under the aegis of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, is charged with the protection and conservation of habitats and species in designated lands around the country. However, there is substantial evidence to show that infrastructure development has been delayed in recent years owing to this environmental designation, especially in the west, where most environmental designation is. I will outline some of this evidence.

In 2010, An Bord Pleanála refused stage 2 of the N26, the road from Mount Falcon to Bohola, which is basically the road between Swinford and Ballina. It runs through the River Moy special area of conservation, SAC. The project was denied on account of over-design and whooper swans. A minor upgrade to this same road has been sought at Cloongullaun to replace the bridge, and solutions have been sought on how to overcome the environmental issues since 2012. A sum of €4 million has been spent on this. A sum of €5 million was spent on the previous project and we still do not have planning permission. I hope An Bord Pleanála will issue planning permission in the coming weeks. If it does not, the alternative is not one to contemplate.

Consultations on flood defences for Crossmolina town, also in an SAC, have been ongoing since 2013 or 2014. On the positive side for Crossmolina, it is listed as one of the projects to be financed under the flood defences capital programme.However, there is still no planning permission. Even a more minor job, that of the dredging of the River Deel to protect people's properties in the short term, has been refused permission. One of the reasons cited was the presence of freshwater pearl mussels. The same issue arises at Cloongullane Bridge. Equally, the much-needed work on Glenisland Bridge on the R312 between Castlebar and Bellacorick has been allocated funding but has been delayed on account of freshwater pearl mussels. On designated lands in Galway, the N59 works between Galway and Clifden have been delayed for years, notwithstanding the 17 or 18 consultations on it. All of these areas fall within the auspices of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS.

We are reaching a point where Government agencies charged with the delivery of vital infrastructure projects are living in fear when proposing them. For example, instead of seeking a major scheme for the worst section of national primary road in the country, namely, the N26, Mayo County Council is seeking a series of minor schemes because it believes it will fall foul of the environmental designation. That is crazy.

The NPWS needs to undertake a major body of work. Other than that, every planning application in a given SAC is dealt with on an ad hocbasis. There is a lack of forward planning and schematic approach, as most SACs do not have management plans. This is key. It means that there has been no examination of the competing interests of conservation and socioeconomic objectives. The need to be able to build bridges and roads and to farm land has not been balanced with the conservation objectives in any formal way.

A case for legitimate development has been identified. Under Project Ireland 2040, there is a plan for 500,000 people in rural areas. If we can get planning permissions, we can get developments through without having to wait years. We have been left very far behind.

I welcome the recruitment steps taken in recent years to plug the science and biodiversity staffing gaps in the NPWS. There was an increase of 15% in this year's budget to €54 million, but that amount covers built heritage as well as natural heritage. The culture budget has been increased to €190 million. There will be no culture or heritage in rural Ireland unless we get our act together. This situation will impede Project Ireland 2040 and must be taken seriously by the Government. The NPWS must be funded if it is to have a schematic approach to developments in designated SACs where there are already substantial settlements and roads.