Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I am glad she agrees that a target is always useful to keep the focus. I welcome the official response, particularly with regard to the public consultation.Apart from being passionate about wildlife crime, I raise this question because I support an Oxfam-led initiative to help grassroots groups made up of communities, young people and ordinary citizens to hold elected officials like us to account. In this instance, the wildlife rehabilitation hospital was very helpful in providing some of the background information. If the Minister of State is going to revert to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, about the wildlife crime unit, it would like other questions to be answered around discrepancy on a regional basis in prosecutions, additional resources that will be put in place and how awareness-raising will take place.

Boots on the ground are important but so is a professional staff with skills for bringing prosecutions. The people on the ground are doing fantastic work but we also need that skill set to deliver on prosecutions. I thank the Minister of State for the response. I look forward to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, responding in writing to those questions.