Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I hope to see Wicklow County Council added to the list of local authorities with a dedicated biodiversity officer. I have spoken to the chief executive of the council on this issue and will be speaking to him later today to encourage him to engage on that role and apply to the €600,000 fund. I note the positive work being done by the Department in terms of the resourcing of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the funding allocation that has brought it back up to its previous levels. I refer to the work that has been done by the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, on the river basin management plans and the work done on marine protected areas. It is a massive challenge in the context of the interconnection of the marine and terrestrial environments. I am encouraged by the work that is being done by the Department and the message sent today by the Minister in terms of his support for the roll-out of biodiversity officers across the country.

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