Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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530. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 171 and 172 of 13 July 2016 (details supplied), if she will name the competent authority in matters of public health involved in making decisions on which bird species should come under a derogation from the birds directive. [27028/16]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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531. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to outline the research which has been conducted by her Department into methods of control used elsewhere in Europe to deal with seagulls in urban settings; and her plans to deal with the issue. [27041/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 530 and 531 together.

Applications for derogation licences are considered on a case by case basis. Derogations may be granted only on specific grounds, including in the interests of public health. As outlined in my previous reply, an applicant would be required to show that a demonstrable risk to public health tied to a specific problem exists. My Department would then consider such a case and, as necessary, consult with competent authorities in relation to public health, such as the Department of Health, for example, or other public health experts.

One of the primary roles of my Department is the conservation of habitats and species and implementation of EU law in Ireland in respect of nature conservation, including in particular the EU Birds Directive, under which seagulls are afforded protection. My Department does not undertake control programmes such as culls in relation to bird species protected under the Directive and therefore such control methods are not subject to active research by my Department.