Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
739. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how three bogs (details supplied) were designated special areas of conservation when the statutory instrument for each one was signed well after the required timeframe set out in Article 4, section (4) of the Habitats Directive, as ‘within 6 years of 1997’; how such statutory instruments can be valid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35139/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland, like all European Member States, is bound in law by the requirements of the EU Nature Directives which are designed to ensure the protection of certain habitats and species within sites designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs). The sites chosen for designation under the Directives are those which are significant from a conservation perspective not just at a national, but at a European level.
The designation of sites under the Nature Directives is a formal, legal process, with a number of steps, which are set out in full in S.I. No. 477/2011 - European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. All sites are considered European Sites under the regulations from the time that they were first notified.
Ardraigue Bog SAC (site code: 002356) was first notified in December 2002.
Barroughter Bog SAC (site code: 000231) was first notified in March 1997.
Cloonmoylan Bog SAC (site code: 000248) was first notified in March 1997.
