Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1111. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 265, 266 and 267 of 18 September 2025, to confirm that there is in fact no list, public or otherwise, for new potential sites for consideration as candidate terrestrial SAC sites; the only list is the currently identified sites, candidate and designated on www.npws.ie/protected-sites with no plan to expand same (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59455/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1112. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 18 September 2025, where the Minister specifically states in his reply: “There are no plans at this time to expand the number of such terrestrial sites", to confirm for the 22 sites of the 40 alluvial woodland sites monitored that are not in an SAC, that despite being recognised as alluvial woodland and monitored to inform the national picture for reporting, they are not for consideration as candidate SAC sites (detail;s supplied); confirm that there is no immediate intention to consider Rathcoole Alluvial Woodland or any other undesignated Alluvial Woodland as candidate SAC sites within any timeframe, and will remain undesignated indefinitely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59456/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1113. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 18 September 2025, where the Minister specifically states “There are no plans at this time to expand the number of such terrestrial sites," if he will confirm the implication in the reply is that Rathcoole alluvial Woodland is therefore not actually on a list of prospective candidate SAC/SCI, and is not being considered or otherwise for SAC designation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59457/25]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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1114. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 270 of 18 September 2025, where the Minister specifically states in his reply “There are no plans at this time to expand the number of such terrestrial sites," to confirm for the 22 sites of the 40 alluvial woodland sites monitored that are not in an SAC, that they are therefore afforded much lesser protection, as evidenced by two sample sites (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59458/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1111 to 1114, inclusive, together.

I refer to my reply to Question No. 270 of 18 September 2025, which sets out the position in relation to ecological data on designated and non-designated areas. The selection procedure for Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) follows the guidance provided by the EU Commission for the implementation of the EU Habitats Directive. An initial suite of candidate sites was put forward for consideration between 1995 and c.2010, with other sites added in subsequent years. All these sites, and the habitats and species for which they were selected, were assessed according to the criteria outlined in Annex III of the Habitats Directive. For Habitats Directive Annex I habitats, this entails evaluation of habitat representativity, habitat area, conservation of structure and functions and global value for conservation; for Habitats Directive Annex II species, the evaluation considers population size, conservation of the habitat features for the species, degree of isolation of population and global value for conservation.

A series of Biogeographical Seminars between EU member states in the Atlantic region and the EU Commission, and subsequent bilateral meetings between Ireland and the EU Commission, established that the network of terrestrial SACs meets EU sufficiency targets for the protection of Ireland’s habitats and species. While further designations are planned in the marine environment for the Annex I habitat Reefs, no further terrestrial SACs are being considered at this time.