Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Senator. I know Glenveagh and have been there many times. It is a lovely place. It is one of Donegal's great treasures, as the Senator knows well. He has been a strong supporter on this issue.

I am here representing the Minister. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has primary responsibility for nature conservation, wildlife protection and the preservation of our national parks. I assure the Senator, on behalf of the Minister, that Glenveagh National Park remains open to visitors seven days a week all year around and as with all national parks managed by the NPWS, entry is free. In addition to amenities such as walks, trails, viewing points and toilets, the visitor and exhibition centre, castle gardens and shuttle bus remain available to the public almost every day. A charge is levied for the optional use of the shuttle bus and to tour Glenveagh Castle itself.

I appreciate that while the information desk in Glenveagh Castle also remains open seven days a week, tours of the castle are only operating on a five-days-per-week schedule, with tours currently not scheduled on Mondays and Fridays. This arrangement was introduced to ensure health and safety requirements are met and to ensure available staffing resources are maximised across the park, while reflecting patterns of visitor demand and minimising the impact to the public. It is not unusual to manage such sites on a five-day, rather than a seven-day, basis with reduced services on weekdays. This will be reviewed over time in line with the Department's workforce planning. In that regard, and the Senator asked specifically about the issue, staffing levels across the Department, including the NPWS, are kept under regular review, in line with emerging business needs and Government policy on public sector pay and staffing as advised by the Department.

While there were recent retirements addressed in terms of staffing levels, Glenveagh National Park currently has a strong staffing complement of over 50 permanent staff, including a dedicated park manager, a new role that was filled in 2024. Nevertheless, as part of its ongoing workforce planning, the Department keeps this matters under constant review in to ensure that all priority vacancies are filled in a timely manner and that resource allocations are balanced across the Department to meet key priorities, as necessary. The Department's latest round of formal workforce planning is under way. This process seeks to strategically assess gaps in service delivery that can be addressed on a priority basis in light of available resources.