Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy tabled a simple question about ammunition and guns. I assure her that my officials are telling me that nothing needs to be reported to anybody and that the report which has been done will be before the management board meeting soon. The Deputy also asked about staffing. As she knows, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I have been in the process of employing new rangers since were appointed to this Department. New rangers are needed. I understand that a massive number of applications have been submitted in response to an advertisement looking for eight new rangers. I hope these jobs will be filled very quickly. The Deputy is quite correct when she suggests that the National Parks and Wildlife Service has a big workload. It has a lot of work to do. It needs more staff. Outgoing staff were not replaced when the economy was not going well. I assure the Deputy that these new staff will be employed and that the positions of those who retire will be filled as well.

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