Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 620: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to introduce a national landscape strategy. [17968/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The commitment in the Programme for Government to establish a National landscape Strategy is aimed primarily at the development and implementation of policies on landscape protection, management and planning. It builds on Ireland's ratification of the European Landscape Convention in March 2002.

A steering group of key representatives, supported by a wider consultative panel, has been established under the chairmanship of my Department to progress the development of the Strategy. The first meetings of these groups took place on 29 April 2008. The Steering Group and Consultative Panel have been asked to press ahead in devising a framework for a draft National Landscape Strategy: as part of this process my Department will be publishing an issues paper for public consultation to seek the views of stakeholders on the scope of the Strategy.