Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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1088. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of acres of land which was added to the Connemara National Park from 2020 – 2025; the total cost of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59179/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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There have been three land acquisitions within the specified timeframe, adding a total of 255.7 ha (approx 631.85 acres) to Connemara National Park. This means that the Park expanded by over 12% during this period, the most significant expansion since Connemara National Park was established in 1980.

The cost of these acquisitions combined was €1,345,500. The largest purchase was in 2024 for 249.17 ha costing €1,242,500. The total size of Connemara National Park now stands at over 2,300 ha.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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1089. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his Department’s views on the purchase of land for the expansion of existing national parks; the way in which his Department balances this with desires of local farmers to expand their own holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59180/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is the executive agency within my Department with responsibility for managing Ireland's National Parks and Nature Reserves. It occasionally purchases land to facilitate the expansion of the network of National Parks and Nature Reserves. Such acquisitions are considered carefully on a case by case basis, weighing the overall strategic, environmental and operational benefits of a site against the total cost.

In line with our Programme for Government commitment I can confirm that the NPWS engages in the purchase of lands in order to expand our network of National Parks. When landowners decide to voluntarily sell their land, either by approaching the NPWS directly or placing it on the open market, the NPWS assesses the opportunity in line with public procurement principles and may decide to make an offer accordingly.

National Parks offer a range of benefits to rural communities. In addition to safeguarding our natural heritage and protecting nature and habitats, National Parks offer enhanced public amenities to the areas in which they are based. They offer social, health and well-being opportunities to both individuals and their communities. They complement the development of local economies, providing a range of additional opportunities arising out of tourism, recreation and biodiversity driving the creation of new sustainable enterprises, job opportunities and increased visitor spending.

The NPWS values farming communities and landowners as key stakeholders and important partners in achieving its conservation goals. As part of this, the NPWS has previously bought land where it is the only interested party or where it has been approached directly by a landowner specifically interested in placing some or all of their land-holdings under public ownership. Equally, it has sometimes sought to buy land in areas where there has been other interested parties. It should be noted that some areas of strategic interest to the NPWS in its conservation and public service roles are in sought-after areas, such as areas with high-visual amenity and residential potential or other areas with commercial interest. Where there is interest from multiple parties, the potential acquisition is actively monitored and kept under review. When the proposed benefits of acquiring a site are evaluated as not being sufficient, especially when the proposed price of land exceeds the value-for-money threshold set by the NPWS, it will not engage with the bidding process. The NPWS at all time strictly adheres to public procurement rules and has robust internal processes to ensure value-for-money for the public purse.