Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the person who designates additional special areas of conservation; the reason a farm (details supplied) in County Kerry was designated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53174/12]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for designating land as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) rests with me, as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. When the land referred to in the Deputy's Question was proposed for designation as an SAC in 2006 (which superseded an earlier proposed designation), the function rested with the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The land in question was retained for designation as an SAC, following a revised approach to SAC river boundaries more generally, as it was considered to contain an area of associated wildlife habitat, i.e., wet grassland.