Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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681. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a licensing crisis exists in Ireland and not in other European countries that also comply with EU habitats and bird directives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22757/21]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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682. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if other European countries apply a 15km buffer zone radius for screening forestry projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22758/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 681 and 682 together.

The Habitats Directive and the transposing legislation SI 477 of 2011 require, inter alia, that an appropriate assessment is undertaken where screening identifies a likelihood of the project having a significant effect on a European site(s). This is true right throughout the EU and it is true regardless of the separation distance between the project and the European site(s).

Licensing issues have occurred because of the change in the number of files screened in for Appropriate Assessment in Ireland. The most important change that led to a much higher number of files being screened in was compliance with European Court of Justice and National case law that determined that it is not appropriate, at the Appropriate Assessment screening stage, to take account of the measures, intended to avoid or reduce the harmful effects of the project on a European site. The impact on this on other European Countries will depend on the geographic spread of their forests and their European sites and the level of compliance in these countries with European law.

It is up to each regulatory body in each Member State to determine how it carries out screening for Appropriate Assessment but, in doing so, must ensure that any project that can affect any European site – regardless of separation distance – requires an Appropriate Assessment to be carried out.

A likely zone of impact is used in order to identify those European Sites to be specifically addressed during screening. In making a decision regarding the likelihood of a project having a significant effect on a European Site(s), all European Sites within a certain radius (or ‘likely zone of impact’) should be considered at screening stage, in addition to hydrologically-connected European Sites. For example, in relation to a Special Protection Area, it is important to consider whether the project area lies within the foraging distance of bird species for which that SPA was designated, and many of these foraging distances exceed 3km. This was one of the reasons why 3km was not deemed appropriate.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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683. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is within the terms of reference of the Forestry Appeals Committee to advise his Department on its procedures as outlined in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 2021 of 24 March 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22770/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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While the Forestry Appeals Committee have no direct role in advising the Department on its procedures, feedback, and in particular decision letters for individual cases heard by the Forestry Appeals Committee, are noted by the Department which may then lead to procedural changes where necessary.