1635. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the report into the fire in Killarney National Park in 2021 will be published; the reason for the delay in making it public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55615/26]

While the fire in Killarney National Park on Tuesday 14 July this year spread to over 25 hectares of land and is believed to have been caused by human activity, more than 2,000 hectares of Killarney National Park (KNP) were affected by a wildfire in April 2021. This made it the largest wildfire recorded in the area in recent decades. To investigate the ecological consequences of such a large-scale disturbance, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) commissioned a report to assess its impacts on biodiversity.

Research was conducted across a range of taxonomic groups, including invertebrates, birds, and vegetation communities, throughout the park between late 2021 and the end of 2023. A substantial component of this work forms part of a PhD project, which involved field data collection between 2021 and 2024, and that is scheduled for completion later this year. The principal outputs from this research are anticipated during the latter half of 2026 and early 2027, when the Report will be finalised and published.