Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

20. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she is satisfied that the number of National Parks and Wildlife Service officers is sufficient to protect our wildlife. [10014/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department directly employs some 565 staff, who operate across a broad range of functions within my Department’s programme areas-Arts, Culture and Film; Heritage; Irish Language, Gaeltacht and Islands; and North/South Co-operation. As the Deputy will appreciate, the staff of my Department are allocated to these functional areas on the basis of need, having regard to a number of factors, including overall resource availability. The majority of administrative staff are based in departmental offices in Dublin, Killarney, Na Forbacha, Co Galway, and Wexford, with regional and field staff (mainly at professional, technical and industrial grades) dispersed across the country.

Of the total Departmental staff, 283 work in the area of natural heritage through the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department. In addition, approximately 50 further seasonal staff are engaged during the year to assist the NPWS with its activities. The staffing requirements in this area, as with all other areas of my Department, is the subject of ongoing consideration in light of the overall business needs and within the pay framework approved for 2015. Within this context, I am satisfied that the NPWS continues to fulfil a comprehensive and valuable role in the conservation and protection of our natural heritage and delivers an excellent service to the public.