Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his lengthy response. I disagree with him. This is not specific to Emo Court. Barryscourt Castle is in the same position in that works were carried out there in 2016 but a bat expert was not hired until 2020. With all due respect to the Minister of State, the timelines do not add up. The works in 2019 were not emergency works. At the time the works were applied for, a bat expert said they could not go ahead because the mitigation was insufficient to protect the bats. The OPW then applied for a retrospective licence. The Minister of State can read a statement indicating the bat roosts are fine and stable or whatever but the reality is that works were carried out by the OPW without the necessary licence. Will he give a commitment that the report carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the first half of 2020 did not make a recommendation that the OPW be prosecuted under the habitats directive and the Wildlife Act?