Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on Air Corps activity in supporting the National Parks and Wildlife Service; the number of times that the Air Corps aircraft have been used to assist the NPWS during each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30064/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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To assist the NPWS in its role in securing the conservation of a representative range of ecosystems and to maintain and enhance populations of flora and fauna in Ireland, the Air Corps provides transport for NPWS personnel in order to facilitate surveys of species that are difficult to view from the ground or at sea, such as waterfowl, seals and deer, as well as surveys of habitats such as cliffs and uplands which are difficult to access. As part of the national effort to ensure Ireland's compliance with the EU ban on turf cutting in Special Areas of Conservation, Air Corps aircraft have also been used recently to transport NPWS personnel to monitor these areas.

These services are provided to the NPWS as the need arises and within the available capability of the Air Corps, having regard to both current and contingent operational commitments. Details of NPWS missions flown by the Air Corps for the past five years are presented in the tabular statement below.