Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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160. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress being made in reversing the decline in numbers of the hen harrier following the publication of the 2022 National Hen Harrier Breeding Survey (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30920/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a territorial ground-nesting bird of prey that typically breeds in open upland bog, heather moorland, and their associated habitats. The declines reported in the 2022 National Hen Harrier Breeding Survey are extremely concerning, and in July 2024, Government adopted the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan (HHTRP), a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to restore the species.

The primary potential threats and pressures to breeding Hen Harrier, as identified through the consultation process for the HHTRP, concern forestry, agricultural intensification and wind energy development. Since its adoption and launch in September 2024, my Department has been investing significant resources in the implementation of the Plan, in collaboration with other Departments. Monitoring efforts have also been increased within the six breeding Hen Harrier Special Protection Areas (SPAs), so that real-time information can be used to protect nest sites from potentially disturbing activities. Predator control management is ongoing to protect nest sites and chicks, in addition to surveillance to detect and fight fires that can damage Hen Harrier habitats.

Reports will be prepared annually on the implementation of the Threat Response Plan and the preparation of the first annual report has recently commenced and will be published later this year. It is too early to report on the figures for this year’s monitoring in the six SPAs, although preliminary results and those from 2024 do not show any significant improvements in breeding success or productivity. Significant efforts will continue to be made to reverse this trend.