1575. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the status of the Invasive Species Policy; the specific actions that are being taken in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58911/26]

My Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is responsible for the implementation of the legislative framework around invasive alien species in Ireland, including the 2024 European Union (Invasive Alien Species) Regulations (SI 374/2024) which give effect to the EU IAS Regulation (1143/2014) in the national context.

On the 19th of May 2026 Christopher O’Sullivan TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity announced a new partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) which will establish an Invasive Alien Species Bureau. The Bureau formalises the partnership between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the National Biodiversity Data Centre to support implementation of the EU Regulation on invasive alien species, and to strengthen Ireland's approach to managing them.

The Bureau will enhance coordination and collaboration, inform policy and regulation and support the implementation of measures to manage invasive alien species across the country. This includes public awareness campaigns and the promotion of citizen science.

With the new Bureau in place, work will now begin on a National Invasive Alien Species Management Strategy for Ireland to manage and ultimately control outbreaks of invasive plants and animals that negatively impact our native habitats and species and to prevent new invasive alien species from becoming established.

With regard to Wicklow NPWS carries out invasive alien species control on the lands it owns in County Wicklow. In addition to routine site maintenance, in recent years the NPWS has focussed on reducing the presence and regrowth of invasive plants around Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve and Wicklow Mountains National Park. Unlike other areas of the country where the main issues include Japanese Knotweed and Rhododendron Ponticum, the main plants focussed on in Wicklow have been Cherry Laurel and trees such as Sitka Spruce. When dealing with invasive species, the priority is to protect native habitats such as heathlands, blanket bogs, rivers and native woodlands from non-native plants that can outcompete indigenous species and damage ecosystem health, as well as to ensure the safety of the public.

While my Department carries out considerable work on controls in National Parks and Nature Reserves, it does not have the resources or the powers required to extend such work into urban areas or the wider countryside. Much of the work in tackling invasive alien species happens at local level and is carried out by local authorities in their areas through their own biodiversity action plans.

The Local Biodiversity Action Fund, operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, supports a diverse range of local authority-led projects, and many of these projects deal with invasive alien species control.

I can also confirm that, as part of a structured approach to invasive alien species management in Wicklow, work is ongoing on the development of woodland and invasive alien species management plans for properties under the management of the NPWS in Wicklow.