Legislative Measures
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-22
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Alan Dillon (FG), Mayo

I thank Senator Eileen Lynch for raising this really important issue in regard to the EU proposal to restrict lead ammunition, mainly in respect of hunting and outdoor sports shooting. I also thank the National Parks and Wildlife Service for its excellent work to date in formulating Ireland's position on this.
I want to make some initial points of clarification. While the EU proposal to restrict lead ammunition is not within the policy remit of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, my Department has an administrative co-ordinating role for the REACH committee. It is important to note that the breadth of this proposed restriction spans several Government Departments and agencies, including the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, the EPA, the Department of Housing, Local. Government and Heritage, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, and also the Department of justice. Officials from my Department continue to circulate to relevant Departments and agencies material received for REACH committee meetings where the agenda includes the draft restrictions on lead in ammunition.
Ireland is represented on the REACH committee meetings for matters within the remit of the Department of Health, the Health and Safety Authority and agency under the aegis of our Department within enterprise, tourism and employment. Our Department has the administrative co-ordinating role and, where the policy remit is not within my Department, as in the case for the proposed restriction on lead ammunition for mainly hunting or sports shooting, officials from the lead policy department for the REACH committee agenda item formulate the Irish position, and they attend and vote on behalf of Ireland. For example, officials from the National Parks and Wildlife Service attended and voted at the REACH committee meeting that dealt with similar restrictions on lead in gunshot on wetlands. The latest proposal is mainly in respect of ammunition for hunting. It is expected that officials from the NPWS will continue to lead in formulating the Ireland position on the draft EU proposal, attend the relevant REACH committee meetings and vote on the latest proposal.
To date, the draft on the proposed restrictions was discussed at confidential REACH committee meetings in February, April, June, October and December. Discussions on this matter are expected to continue at the February REACH committee meeting and potentially for some time into the future, until a draft proposal that is acceptable for the majority of EU member states is arrived at. As the Senator said, there are varying positions in regard to how this will play out over the coming months. There has been no call to date for any member state to call a vote on this matter. We will watch this very closely.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:32+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-22