Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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555. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when compensation will be given to persons with designated lands in hen harrier areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6732/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In the first instance , I should point out that the designation of lands for the hen harrier and the identification of all such areas, is the responsibility of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

That said, I have already provided for a significant framework of support for farmers with hen-harrier designated land through my own Department's agri-environment scheme GLAS. Farmers with land identified as important for the hen-harrier are guaranteed access to the scheme as priority candidates in Tier One of GLAS. I have also provided that such farmers will be automatically approved for GLAS Plus should they be farming sufficient area of habitat. Under GLAS, farmers qualify for a payment rate of €370 per hectare can earn up to €7,000 per annum through a combination of GLAS and GLAS Plus payments. Over 2,100 farmers have been accepted into GLAS 1 & GLAS2 with a hen-harrier action and this number will increase significantly once the approvals for GLAS 3 have been finalised.

Furthermore, my Department is currently in the process of introducing important new schemes under the locally-led umbrella, for the conservation of the hen harrier and the freshwater pearl mussel. I have provided a total budget of €35 million for those two schemes. Part of this process requires the recruitment, by public tender, of a Project Team to help develop and deliver these schemes on behalf of my Department, following a similar model to the highly successful Burren farming conservation measure. The tender closed on 24 January last and I would expect that a contract would be offered to the successful tenderer before the end of February.

The successful tenderer will be directly involved in drawing up the terms and conditions for the hen harrier locally-led scheme, along with the range of actions to be applied and associated payments. This will be done in consultation with officials from my Department and from the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, as well as drawing on local knowledge and inputs from farmers on the ground. Once this stage has been completed, the process of recruiting farmers for a five year scheme will commence.