Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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1108. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the current staffing levels by county within the National Parks and Wildlife Service; and the service area these employees are engaged in. [8161/20]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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385 employees of my Department are assigned to the area of natural heritage through the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department. Officials of my Department carry out scientific research, survey work and monitor compliance with national and European law in relation to nature conservation across the country. Assignment is not on a county basis but rather on a countrywide basis and many of these officers carry out work in more than one county. Many officials are assigned to areas that take account, not just of county boundaries but also such considerations as length of travel time, density and calibre of habitat, and species distribution.