Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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379. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason for the long delay in progressing the Heritage Bill 2016 through the Houses of the Oireachtas; when she expects the pilot programme on the new dates contained in the Bill for hedge cutting and gorse burning to commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30450/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Heritage Bill 2016 passed its Second Stage reading in Seanad Éireann on 20 January 2016 and is included in the Government Legislation Programme, which was published on 8 June 2016. I have requested that this Bill would proceed to the Committee Stage in the Seanad as soon as possible and I am hopeful that a definite arrangement in this regard will be made shortly.

In relation to the burning and hedge cutting provisions in the Bill, Section 40 of the Wildlife Acts 1976, as amended, prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or destruction of vegetation, with certain strict exemptions, from 1 March to 31 August. Following a review of Section 40, which involved, inter alia, consideration of submissions from interested parties, I announced proposals in December 2015 to introduce legislation to allow for managed hedge cutting and burning at certain times within the existing closed period on a pilot two year basis. These provisions are contained in the Bill. The regulations specified in Sections 8(1) and 8 (2) of the Bill relating to the pilot two year period will be finalised following enactment of the Heritage Bill by the Oireachtas and taking account of consultations with relevant stakeholders in due course. In the meantime, the existing provisions relating to Section 40 of the Wildlife Acts are still in operation.