Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy to the House.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming. I wish to raise an issue about Glenveagh Castle, which, as the Minister of State knows, is a major tourist attraction in County Donegal. The castle has been closed on Mondays and Fridays since last year. This has led to visitor frustration, especially at peak times. It is damaging to the reputation of Donegal tourism. The existing staff are dedicated and must be praised for what they are doing. They are doubling up on their work to try to keep the castle working. There are approximately 200,000 visitors annually. It supports local businesses, such as cafés, bed and breakfast accommodation and tour operators. The closure means less spending in the local area, which leads to reduced revenues for shops, coffee shops and everything else.

I have been told that 14 positions have not been filled in Glenveagh Castle. Will the Minister of State confirm whether there is a plan to restore full weekly access to Glenveagh Castle? What is the current recruitment plan to restore staff levels to operational needs? What funding is going to be allocated for infrastructure to upgrade over the next three years? He knows Donegal well and has been to Glenveagh many times. It is a great natural asset. We are not getting the rub of the green here. We need him to come out fighting and stand with Glenveagh. Let us get it working right. We must keep promoting the area. It is lovely, as he knows. I hope he has a reply for me.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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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.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. As he said, the information desk is open. The castle needs to be open on Mondays and Fridays. From what I hear from tour operators, the five-day opening does not work into their plans. There are problems with having enough personnel and staff. I ask the Minister of State to go back to see how many we can get. From what I was told, we appear to be short gardeners and tourism industry staff throughout the house. Perhaps we could get a report that is more tied down in the near future. I thank the Minister of State.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I will, of course, bring the Senator's concerns to the responsible Minister and ensure he hears those concerns. I will also add my knowledge of Glenveagh and how wonderful it is. It is important from the perspective of tourism in Donegal that we seek to maximise accessibility to places such as Glenveagh. I recognise the Senator's concerns and will bring them to the attention of the relevant Minister. I will ensure he is fully aware of what is happening.