Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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63. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 109 of 18 September 2025, the progress to date in preparing legislation to enhance ESB Network's powers to manage vegetation and have the dimensions of forestry corridors put on a statutory basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60431/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The Heads of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Bill 2025 were approved by Government along with priority drafting on the 29 of July.

The unprecedented outages caused by Storm Éowyn exposed critical vulnerabilities arising from unmanaged vegetation and commercial forestry close to electricity infrastructure. Accordingly, the Bill will provide for the establishment and maintenance of forestry corridors (areas within a given distance of the electricity network within which forestry vegetation and related activities can be restricted by law), and includes a number of other provisions to enable the creation of these corridors.

My Department is engaging with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel with a view to completing the drafting of the Bill as quickly as possible. My Department will engage with relevant stakeholders to expedite delivery of this legislation.