Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 25 June 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion

3:00 pm

Photo of John CumminsJohn Cummins (Fine Gael)
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It would be prudent. I had not intended spending my whole six minutes on this set of questions. I did not anticipate it being as difficult as it was. I would have thought that having a stakeholder forum in place as early as possible would assist in this process, as opposed to it being viewed separately, notwithstanding that the service has to do the full consultation. I would have thought the appropriate way would have been to have a stakeholder forum that could bring the viewpoints that come in to the NPWS in a joined-up-thinking process. Looking at other organisations, that is how you would approach things. You would go out with a full public consultation to all your groups but with a wider advisory body that would look at it, notwithstanding that is the job of the NPWS as an organisation. The Arts Council is an example. I would say that would be helpful.