Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Independent)
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76. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the proposed designation of special areas of conservation off the Irish coastline. [44254/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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As part of its obligations under the Habitats Directive, Ireland must designate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for the protection of endangered habitats and species. The European Commission oversees the fulfilment of these obligations through a series of biogeographic seminars, which compare the effort of Member States within a biogeographic region. Such a seminar in 2009 found that certain habitats and species were insufficiently represented in the list of marine candidate SACs proposed for designation by Ireland. The designation of marine SACs was scheduled for completion for the entire EU last year and the six additional marine candidate SACs that I proposed for designation last December - Blackwater Bank, the West Connacht Coast, Hempton's Turbot Bank, Rockabill to Dalkey Island, Porcupine Bank Canyon and the South East Rockall Bank - constitute Ireland's contribution to that process.

My Department is currently processing some 54 appeals against the proposed designation of these sites. Once the appeals process is complete, final proposals will be transmitted to the European Commission for adoption by it as Sites of Community Importance.