Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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216. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he has any responsibility or role in the management of old native Irish forests. [10937/14]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Many native woodlands around the country have been selected as European nature sites under the EU Habitats Directive, which provides them with legal protection. For such sites, conservation objectives are in place and certain activities may not be carried out without a legal consent or permit, which may be issued in cases where it has been determined that: the activity will not cause damage; or if there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest that require derogation from the legal protection of the woodlands, subject to compensatory measures being put in place.

Some of Ireland’s old native woodlands are within the State-owned National Parks and Nature Reserves and are managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department.