Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has issued instructions to local authorities and other State bodies, to ensure they comply with their obligations and duties under the Noxious Weeds Act, 1936, as amended; and if so, the response there has been to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38940/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department actively seeks to enforce the provisions of the Noxious Weeds Act 1936 by engaging with all County Councils, Local Authorities and the National Roads Authority (NRA) to ensure a consistent programme of treatment and disposal of such weeds on an ongoing basis. In this regard, all County Councils, Local Authorities and the NRA were written to in April of this year emphasising their statutory obligations and the importance of implementing measures for the treatment and safe disposal of ragwort.

Fines under the Noxious Weeds Act have been updated under the provisions of the Fines Act of 2010, which provides for a fine of up to €1,000 on conviction.