Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in relation to the proposed Meenlaragh to Falcarragh Special Protection Area in County Donegal, if he will list the public facilities in which the maps and associated documents were displayed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13676/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in relation to the Meenlaragh to Falcarragh Special Protection Area in County Donegal, if he will list the newspapers and radio stations in which the advertising for the consultation process were carried and the dates of these announcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13677/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in relation to the Meenlaragh to Falcarragh Special Protection Area in County Donegal, if there is a requirement in his Department’s written guidelines or guidelines within the National Parks and Wildlife Service for prior consultation with landowners before formal written correspondence is issued informing them that their land is to be within the proposed SPA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13678/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in relation to the Meenlaragh to Falcarragh Special Protection Area in County Donegal, if prior consultation has ever taken place with landowners before their land is included in a SPA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13679/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the coordinates of sightings over the past six years of the corncrake in the area proposed to be included in the Falcarragh/Meenlaragh Special Protection Area, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13680/13]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in relation to the Meenlaragh to Falcarragh Special Protection Area in County Donegal, if he will suspend the process of designation until such time as agreement can be reached with the local communities on the boundaries of the SPA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13681/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 to 345, inclusive, together.

In December 2007, the European Court of Justice found that Ireland was in breach of its obligations under Article 4 of the Birds Directive by failing to designate a sufficient number of sites as Special Protection Areas for the conservation of Corncrake (case C418/04). In this regard, the Falcarragh to Mín an Chladaigh area, which had been identified as an Important Bird Area in a report published in 2000, was specifically mentioned in the Court’s ruling. A failure to abide by the Court’s findings would result in the probable imposition of fines against the State. In the circumstances, the Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible to suspend the designation process for the Falcarragh to Meenlaragh SPA.

The proposal to designate a number of Corncrake sites in Co Donegal, including the Falcarragh to Meenlaragh SPA, was advertised in the Donegal News, the Irish Times and in the Foinse supplement to the Irish Independent in the week commencing 4 July 2011. In addition, the proposed designations were announced four times daily on Highland Radio on 6, 7 and 8 July 2011.

Some 909 landowners and licence holders who could be identified in respect of the Falcarragh to Meenlaragh SPA were written to and provided with detailed information packs, including maps outlining the proposed boundaries, the reasons behind the proposed designation and the processes for objecting.

Maps and details of the proposed designations were also made available for inspection in

Under the provisions of the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, the requisite consultation process commences after the notification of the intention to designate a site.

The Falcarragh to Meenlaragh SPA was chosen as a site for Corncrake on foot of evidence from survey work over a period of years indicating that the area is of continued importance to this species. Using the best available spatial data on Corncrake distribution and numbers, a suitable boundary for the SPA was produced by my Department. The annual survey data was gathered using international best practice methodology as part of ongoing Corncrake conservation work. This species spends a large proportion of its time concealed in vegetation and sightings are rare. The primary method of estimating its abundance and distribution relies on analysis of the audible records of this vocal species. It is only the male that regularly calls or sings and there is usually no direct recording of the female or young in an area. Scientific studies have shown that the nest of a female Corncrake and her brood rearing area is usually within 250 meters of the singing place of the male with which she paired. Individual male Corncrake can call from several locations over the course of a breeding season and may pair with more than one female.

Over 35 individual Irish grid reference records estimating the singing locations of male Corncrake are outlined below. These estimates are of calling male Corncrakes that were recorded in or, due to their proximity, were considered to be associated with, the Falcarragh to Meenlaragh SPA over the course of the last six breeding seasons.