Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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59. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the timeline for the review of the National Parks and Wildlife Service; his priorities in respect of the service in budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28228/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to review the remit, status and funding of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to ensure that it is playing an effective role in delivering its overall mandate and enforcement role in the protection of wildlife. To this end, I engaged with my officials in the National Parks and Wildlife Service to discuss the review and am currently considering options with regard to the proposed review, including the methodology, outline terms of reference, timeline for consultations with stakeholders and its overall completion.

Budget 2021 is currently being deliberated upon by Government. My priority for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, first and foremost, is the continued investment measures to protect our habitats, landscapes and wildlife and for the development and operations of our National Parks and Nature Reserves. As I informed the Deputy in response to her parliamentary question on the 22nd July 2020, I am of course mindful of the need to focus on the core responsibilities relating to the management of the existing Parks and Reserves lands; the Departmental focuses on conservation objectives for Natura 2000 sites and funding for this is paramount.