Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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149. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department and public bodies or agencies that operate under his remit have policies in place to install artificial structures that provide shelter and habitat space for wild species, such as, but not limited to, insect hotels, bat boxes, nesting towers and beehives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24262/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to climate action, sustainability and measures to support biodiversity across all our policy areas and in relation to property matters. Biodiversity is mainstreamed across the Irish Aid programme and key measures include our advocacy for sustainable food systems.

On the operations side, the Department’s Property Strategy 2021-2025 is anchored in a clear commitment to increasing the sustainability of our buildings across the globe. Since July 2019, when the Department launched a Green Foreign Ministry initiative, we have mainstreamed sustainability across our mission network, promoting efforts to increase energy efficiency and creating more awareness of our environmental responsibilities. We have a number of 'Green Star Missions' where investment has been made in initiatives to promote sustainability and biodiversity. In particular, projects in Jordan, Rome, Brasilia and Dar es Salaam have focused on bringing green spaces back into use and creating or protecting habitats for wildlife.

The Department of Foreign Affairs works closely with the Office of Public Works in relation to our office premises. In 2021, with the advice and support of OPW we installed beehives at our offices on Mount Street and there is a wildflower roof on our premises in Harcourt Street. We are in the process of reinstating the garden at the rear of Iveagh House following recently completed renovations to the building and will consider what measures may be put in place to support and encourage bees and other wildlife, such as a wildflower garden. Learnings from these initiatives will contribute to our plans for the Green Foreign Ministry Action Plan.

In March of this year, the Department published its first Climate Action Roadmap, which aims to reduce our carbon emissions and increase the energy efficiency of the Department’s HQ buildings. We will be working with the OPW and the SEAI closely to meet those targets. There are no public bodies or agencies under the remit of my Department.