1033. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he would support a ban on the importation of non-native honeybee; and to outline the work being conducted by his Department on protections for the native Irish honeybee. [41776/26]

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is responsible for regulating importation of live animals, in line with existing EU and national legislation. Decisions on the restriction on the importation of animal species are a matter for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department works, with others, to support of a range of monitoring and conservation initiatives to protect and support a wide range of pollinators. The Irish Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, operated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and co-funded by the NPWS and DAFM monitors the status, trends and distribution of wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies. The NPWS and DAFM also provide support for the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, helping to secure €1.8m in funding from the Government’s Shared Island Initiative. The NPWS Local Biodiversity Action Fund provides support to local authorities to implement pollinator friendly initiatives, recently investing in pollinator friendly projects such as the Cork City Wildflower Meadow Enhancement Project and the Kilkenny Grasslands and Urban Meadows project.

The EU Nature Restoration Regulation has introduced additional pollinator monitoring obligations beyond the current programme that will come into effect in late 2026. Under this Regulation, Member States, including Ireland, must carry out enhanced monitoring and take measures to improve pollinator diversity and reverse pollinator decline by 2030, and achieve an increasing population trend thereafter.