Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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86. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if, given that his Department previously advised that it was unable to locate the policy files for S.I. No. 254/1986 - European Communities (Wildlife Act 1976) (Amendment) Regulations, 1986, and was/is therefore legally non-compliant with the National Archives Act 1986 (the ’30-year rule’) in these regards, his Department has complied with the terms of the National Archives Act 1986, by providing all files–including policy files–pertaining to the Wildlife Act 1976–viz. primary legislation–to the National Archives Office under the ’30-year rule’; and if it transpires that his Department, in addition to its non-compliance vis-à-vis the 1986 Regulations, is also non-compliant with regard to the files on the Wildlife Act 1976; the reason for his Department’s non-compliance; the directions he will give to his Department/NPWS to achieve and sustain legal compliance in respect of both sets of files; if he will make immediate and convenient arrangements in his Department/NPWS for public scrutiny of all of the pertinent files on the 1976 Act, as is legally required of his Department/NPWS under the terms of the National Archives Act 1986; if he will provide a complete copy of the Memorandum of Understanding(MOU)–including all relevant background notes and files pertinent to the MOU–that was provided by the Department of the day to the Oireachtas Committee(s) to inform the Committee(s)’ members during the passage of the Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37968/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Wildlife Act 1976 was sponsored by the Minister for Lands and came into operation on 1 June 1977.

My Department is seeking to establish the custody of the files referenced, the extent to which those files have been archived and to ensure that these files are identified, archived and made available for inspection. The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department (NPWS) has searched all physical files held in central storage and has made efforts to locate relevant files held in remote storage and these efforts will continue.

The Ministry responsible for nature conservation has moved across a number of Departments of State in the intervening years. The NPWS has been part of a number of Departments of State during this time. In view of the number of Departments in which these files originated this will take some time to complete.