Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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250. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department and public bodies/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. [24267/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that there is currently no such policy in place in my Department, including the Office of Government Procurement. With the exception of the Office of Public Works (OPW), this is also the position with regard to the bodies under the aegis of my Department.

The OPW has advised me that the Office is taking a very proactive position in terms of biodiversity and that the OPW is one of the first government agencies to publish a corporate biodiversity strategy - the OPW Biodiversity Action Strategy 2022-2026. Within this strategy, there are a series of actions ranging from staff biodiversity awareness training through to the development of biodiversity guidelines. The inclusion of biodiversity enhancement features such as artificial nest boxes are a component of how the OPW is supporting biodiversity conservation.

A wide range of habitat enhancement features have been integrated into OPW’s flood risk management activities such as the Templemore Flood Relief Scheme, Tipperary, which includes the first ever sand martin nesting wall design, Bat boxes, Kingfisher nest tunnels and new spawning gravels for fish and lamprey. Ecological monitoring of the project is demonstrating major uptake of these initiatives by wildlife representing a significant biodiversity gain.

Over the past year, the OPW has conducted detailed biodiversity audits of 10 of its Heritage properties, with a further 10 sites to be surveyed in 2023. Each survey includes a list of key recommendations, and where appropriate, artificial habitats are being recommended in the form of otter holts, swift nest boxes, bat towers and solitary bee nests. A number of OPW sites, including Phoenix Park, the National Botanic Gardens, St. Enda’s Park and Castletown House already have extensive enrichments of this kind, including beehives, and it is anticipated that all OPW sites will in due course have similar improvements.