Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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1047.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if, in the context of the deaths of two young female elephants at Dublin Zoo, he will enter into discussions with Dublin Zoo, specialist elephant veterinarians, elephant welfare experts and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to end or phase out the keeping of elephants in captivity in Ireland, starting with the prohibition of breeding elephants or importing elephants from other zoos. [31391/24]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The National Parks & Wildlife Service in my Department is responsible for the regulation, inspection and licensing of zoos in Ireland. The European Communities (Licensing and Inspection of Zoos) Regulations 2003 provide the legislative basis for the inspection and licensing of zoos in Ireland. These Regulations give effect to EU Directive 1999/22/EC (the Zoo Directive).

The purpose of the Directive relating to the keeping of wild animals in zoos is to protect wild fauna and to conserve biodiversity by providing for the adoption of measures by Member States for the licensing and inspection of zoos in the EU, thereby strengthening the role of zoos in the conservation of biodiversity. In 2016, to support the existing legislation, my Department published the Irish Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (ISMZP), which can be found here: www.npws.ie/licencesandconsents/zoo-licences.