Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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420. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason the existing bus contract for Glenveagh National Park has not been renewed; if a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out in relation to the cost of continuing with the existing contract or providing the new contract; her plans for the disposal of the existing vehicles; the plans or discussions held with the aim of outsourcing or privatising any of the services in Glenveagh National Park; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32855/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The bus service in Glenveagh National Park is operated by a combination of permanent and seasonal National Parks and Wildlife Service Staff, using vehicles owned by my Department. There is no contract with any external service provider for such services, and therefore the matter of renewing or not renewing such a contract does not arise. My Department is always looking at ways to improve the tourism and education dimensions and visitor services at national parks and I am pleased to acknowledge that the bus service in operation at Glenveagh National Park has proven to be a success over many years.

Due to the success of the scheme, and as a result of a significant and welcome increase in coach tour bookings and a general increase in visitor numbers to Glenveagh this year, the demand for the service currently exceeds that which has been provided by the staff at Glenveagh National Park. Accordingly, my Department gave consideration to tendering for a private service operator to augment the bus service currently provided at Glenveagh at peak times, on a day-to-day basis. However, following a recent review of the position, arrangements have been agreed with the staff concerned on foot of which it is expected that there will not now be any need to engage private operators to augment the service.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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421. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of the 27 March 2014 if he has any further update on the matter in question and is in a position to outline the particulars of the case; if he will also advise if the original contract for consultation awarded to MH consultancy was put out to tender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32886/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that, in 2003, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) commenced a review of the operation of catering facilities at Glenveagh National Park. I understand that the services of a part-time faculty member of a locally-based educational establishment were engaged, with the intention of bringing specialist knowledge of the catering industry to bear on the review. I understand that the faculty member in question also traded under the name MH Consultancy, which, during the subsequent period from 2004 to 2006, was paid a total of €19,150 for 3 individual consultancies relating to the review of catering facilities at the National Park. From the information available to me, these consultancies would not appear to have been subject to a procurement process.

I am advised that subsequent substantive franchise contracts to run the tearooms at the Park, for which the licensee pays an annual fee to my Department, were subject to an open competitive tender process and were awarded to MH Consultancy.