616. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the results of the independent experts' analysis of the research provided to his Department in December 2024 in relation to the native Irish honeybee assessment, as recommended by the Attorney General; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53263/26]

The Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021, a Private Members Bill, which seeks to ban the importation of non-native honey bees is currently before Dáil Éireann, Second Stage.

Following legal advice in relation to the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021, my Department procured independent scientific evidence and in October 2023, a contract was signed with the National University of Ireland, Galway for the provision of research services on the native Irish honey bee (Apis mellifera mellifera).

The research work concluded in December 2024, and the research report was subsequently evaluated by an external expert. Following the completion of the evaluation, the research service provider was afforded the opportunity to respond to the evaluator’s comments and these comments were received in September 2025. My Department is currently finalising the overall response to the report.