Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ensuring the adequate provision of burial facilities for their functional areas is a matter for the relevant local authority and I understand that both Killarney Town Council and Kerry County Council are considering options in this regard to meet the needs of the Killarney area. Killarney National Park is managed by my Department as a category II protected area in accordance with guidelines set down by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN.

The park has also been designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, as a biosphere reserve, which combines objectives of nature conservation and sustainable development. Moreover, the park is subject to a number of significant EU and Irish legal environmental designations. In light of the above, it is appropriate that any development in an area designated both as a national park and as a special area of conservation should be limited to what would enhance the conservation status of the area or to necessary works for which no alternative location is possible.