Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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135. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in respect of the amount of the €500,000 spent on the rhododendron ponticim since 2009, the amount spent on contractors; the amount spent on voluntary work camps; and the amount spent on clearance between 2004 and 2009. [5519/15]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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If I could only find my question.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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It relates to the €500,000 spent on rhododendron ponticim.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The invasive species that is attacking our native woodlands, particularly in our national parks. Is there a more effective way of using that money?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department carries out an annual targeted programme of works to manage the spread of the invasive species rhododendronin Killarney National Park. The extent of the problem varies from area to area within the park and the programme and control methods used are regularly reviewed and refined to respond to the dynamic and vigorous nature of the plant in order to mitigate its impact. While a wide range of control methods are considered for this purpose, those chosen are generally selected on the basis of optimum effectiveness, having regard to the most efficient use of available resources. Despite the challenging budgetary constraints of recent years, my Department continues to commit a significant portion of its available funding towards this important programme.

Deputy McLellan previously requested a breakdown of certain expenditure in respect of this work. I appreciate her forbearance while my staff have collated the relevant historical data, much of which predates the formation of my Department in 2011.

I should clarify that the sum of €500,000 referred to in the question relates to the period since 2011 only.

As advised by letter to Deputy McLellan last week, my Department has expended €898,590 in total on the programme since 2009, broken down as follows: €819,633 on external contractors; €55,206 on costs associated with volunteer work camps; and €23,751 on related supplies, equipment etc. used by volunteers and Department staff in the clearance programme.

Between 2005 and 2008, a total of just over €1.9 million was spent on contract work on the programme. While precise figures are not available for this period for costs associated with volunteer work camps or supplies, it is estimated that these costs were of the order of €20,000 per annum and €5,000 per annum, respectively.

The work involved is arduous and resource intensive, and is carried out by outside specialist companies, Department staff and by volunteer groups under staff direction and supervision. In this regard, I would like to recognise the important contribution, both past and continuing, of volunteer groups to this work, and also the innovative work of my own Department's staff in Killarney National Park, who have been instrumental in developing new methods to control this plant.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. Her reply points to the fact that contractors receive a substantially greater amount of money than those in the voluntary work camps. The latter group has been most successful in clearing much of the Killarney National Park of Rhododendron for a period.

Is the Minister aware that Groundwork, the group that carried out many of the voluntary work camps, has revisited the matter? Those work camps have not been on for three years due to a change in the Department away from funding the camps to funding private contractors. Groundwork's representatives have retraced their steps and revisited some of these sites in Killarney National Park. They have found that Rhododendron has now spread back into those areas because the work they did was not continued and maintained. That shows that the money being spent at present is not cost-effective and does not prevent Rhododendron from recurring, unless the clearance work is undertaken year after year.

It does not just concern Killarney National Park because other areas also require such an approach, rather than depending only on the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In Killarney National Park the Department continues to avail of the work of volunteer services. Four to eight volunteers are constantly available throughout the year to carry out work under the supervision and direction of regional staff. These are usually volunteers from universities abroad who carry out this work as a component of their university course.

In recent years, there has been a shift towards specialist companies for a number of reasons. In some cases the Rhododendron management takes place in remote places and it would not be appropriate for volunteers to go to these locations. In other cases, the use of contractors was considered to be the fastest, most efficient and most cost-effective method to undertake clearance work.

The working relationship between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Groundwork came to an end - in so far as the on-site work camps are concerned - in 2009 when Groundwork declined to co-operate with the National Parks and Wildlife Service's prescribed Rhododendron management programme. I understand that Groundwork did not agree with the National Parks and Wildlife Service's prescribed methodologies. Groundwork wanted to continue with the use of massive and systematic work-throughs of woodlands with a large number of volunteers, as opposed to Killarney National Park's management methods involving stem treatments, including non-herbicidal methodologies.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Department needs to consider whether the National Parks and Wildlife Service's use of contractors is having the same systematic effect as the work done by the Groundwork volunteers to whom I refer. In a previous reply, the Minister referred to the adopt a woodland scheme. That scheme might represent the way forward in order that Groundwork or other voluntary organisations might play a role in trying to reinstate the flora and vegetation of the habitats to which I refer. Is the Minister in a position to confirm that she will outline fully in the future how the adopt a woodland scheme will work? Will she also indicate how the volunteers are going to be managed and who will be responsible for ensuring that their work, whether being done in remote locations or otherwise, will continue to have the desired effect?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The National Parks and Wildlife Service has always acknowledged the significant contribution made by Groundwork volunteers over many years. The Deputy referred to the adopt a woodland project in Killarney National Park, which is designed to assist with the control of rhododendron in the park. The project will harness additional assistance from volunteer groups to augment the resources already being applied in respect of the ongoing control and management programme. The targeted woodland at a number of designated sites has been cleared of the mature rhododendron, and maintenance work has been carried out over a period of years to remove seedlings and saplings. The sites to which I refer will require ongoing, low-level maintenance work for many years to come, and they will remain the target locations for the adopt a woodland project. The project has the joint aims of assisting in the work to control rhododendron in Killarney National Park and involving the local community. It will commence in 2015. Procedures and conditions are being elaborated. It should be noted that this project will represent a supplementary element to the overall control programme and is not in any way intended to displace the ongoing core rhododendron work.