Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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935. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the timeline given for the rapid threat response plan to be finished for the hen harrier and the exact date given; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24667/16]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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969. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of meetings that have been held to date of the inter-departmental steering group established to draw up a threat response plan for the hen harrier; the frequency with which the group intends to meet; the progress made by the group to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25385/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 935 and 969 together.

The Inter-Departmental Steering Group working on the development of the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan was established in July 2014 and has now met on eight occasions.

The main issues of land uses and the recovery of the hen harrier population have been investigated and discussed by the Steering Group and with the stakeholder consultative committee. The report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has also been taken into account.

My officials will meet bilaterally and as a group with the key Departments over the coming weeks to finalise a draft of the plan prior to a public consultation and screening for Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment.

There has been substantial work carried out in setting out the issues around managing for the recovery of the hen harrier population, and the concerns and knowledge of landowners and other stakeholders.