Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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1218. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will instruct his Department to prepare legislation to ban the sale of Cherry Laurel in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46054/25]

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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1219. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department undertakes studies on the damage done by Cherry Laurel to biodiversity and environment in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46055/25]

Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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1239. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason cherry laurel (prunus laurocerasus) has not yet been added to Ireland's List of National Concern under the 2024 Invasive Alien Species Regulations, despite being recognised as a high-risk invasive species by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Coillte and the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46253/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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1255. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason cherry laurel (prunus laurocerasus), despite being recognised as a high-risk invasive species by NPWS, NBDC, Coillte and the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, has not yet been added to Ireland’s List of National Concern under the 2024 Invasive Alien Species Regulations. [46497/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is responsible for the implementation of legislation around invasive alien species including the new European Union (Invasive Alien Species) Regulations 2024 which were introduced in July 2024. These regulations give full effect to the EU IAS Regulation (1143/2014) in the national context and also update and strengthen the existing provisions around invasive alien species in Ireland.

The 2024 Regulations make it an offence to place invasive alien species on the market, in line with Article 7 of the EU Regulation, for sale or exchange. This provision is applied to both invasive alien species of Union concern and invasive alien species of national concern.

The list of invasive alien species of national concern in the 2024 regulations is based on the list of plants and animals included on the Third Schedule to the European Union (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations of 2011 (SI 477/2011).

While it can have a detrimental impact on native habitats and species, Cherry Laurel was not included on the 2011 list. A comprehensive review of that list would be required to add any additional species to the list of national concern. Accordingly, Cherry Laurel is not a listed invasive species in Ireland nor is it included on the European list of invasive species of Union concern.

However, Regulation 12 of the new Regulations provides for emergency measures for species that are not included on the Union list. In this context, and in the context of available resources and work force planning, the NPWS can examine the feasibility of restricting the sale, distribution and planting of Cherry Laurel.

In the meantime, sightings of this species in the wild may be submitted to the National Biodiversity Data Centre through its online portal or mobile application, through the following link:

invasives.ie/what-can-i-do/report-sightings/

Submission of sightings allows for better monitoring of the impact of invasive alien species and will help inform policy decisions and effective implementation of measures to tackle such species in the coming months and years.