578. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken an ecological assessment of the damage caused by the July and August 2026 wildfires on Slievenamon, including Slievenamon Bog NHA (Site Code 002388); the findings of any such assessment; and whether Slievenamon has been identified for consideration under Ireland's National Nature Restoration Plan. [73652/26]

Following the fire in Slievenamon in July the NPWS did a preliminary site inspection of the privately owned NHA (Natural Heritage Area Site Code 002388) but no formal ecological assessment has been carried out to date.

In relation to the second part of the question, Ireland submitted a draft Nature Restoration Plan Template, in the format mandated by the EU, on 1 September, the deadline set out in the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. This template is an early-stage, technical draft, focused mainly on setting out baseline information, available data and existing measures rather than a final programme of restoration actions or specific sites.

A phased process will now commence to develop the final plan, including dialogue with the EU, together with extensive stakeholder engagement and public feedback helping to shape the final document for submission to European Commission in 2027.