Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
287. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 620 of 27 January 2026, in view of the Court of Justice of the EU ruling on case C-444/21 EU Commission v Ireland if he will deliver individual conservation plans for each SAC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9119/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the 2023 European Court Judgement in Case 444/21, (“the Measures Case”), Ireland was found in breach of its obligations under the Habitats Directive in relation to 423 protected European sites across the country. There are three main elements to the case and significant progress has been made by Ireland , across all areas of the case – further information is available on the [NPWS website] (www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/files/SAC%20quick%20reference%20table(1).pdf).
To date, 418 out of 423 SACs have completed the formal statutory designation process. Site-specific objectives are published for all sites. Conservation Measures for the first batch of 40 SAC sites were published in 2025 and work is ongoing to collate, transmit and publish relevant conservation measures information for all 423 SAC sites, in accordance with the timeframe agreed with CION. Ireland continues to liaise with the EU to resolve all matters identified in the Judgment.
Article 6.1 of the Habitats Directive relates to the appropriate management of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). There are site specific conservation objectives (SSCOs) published for all SACs in Ireland. These are tailored to the site in question, taking account of the threats and pressures on the protected habitats and species for which the site is designated. The SSCOs form the basis for conservation planning and protection of relevant habitats and species at the site, setting out concrete targets to be reached in order for those habitats and species to maintain or reach favourable conservation status. Neither the Habitats Directive nor the judgement mentioned contains an obligation on member states to publish conservation plans for all SAC sites.
At present there is no commitment to the publication of individual conservation plans for each SAC in Ireland. There are conservation measures in place, in progress and planned for many habitats and species across the SAC network. Many of these are being delivered by landowners who are participating in schemes and programmes such as Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) under the CAP Strategic Plan, European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Scheme, NPWS Farm Plan Scheme and the LIFE programme. Participation in these is voluntary and landowner involvement is essential for their successful design and implementation at site level. It is envisaged that this will continue to be the case, including where detailed planning is required to design bespoke conservation plans for specific sites.
