Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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92. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of NPWS staff by county; the vacancies the NPWS has in each county; and the reason for these vacancies. [56412/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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415 staff in my Department work in the area of natural heritage through the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Given the enforcement roles discharged by certain staff in the NPWS, for reasons of operational security, the Department does not provide details of staffing in the manner requested.

My Department’s workforce planning process does not focus on perceived vacancies arising from roles that may have existed in the past but rather seeks to strategically assess gaps in service delivery that can be addressed on a priority basis in light of the available resources. Staffing levels across the Department, including the NPWS, are kept under regular review in line with emerging business needs and Government policy on public sector pay and staffing, as advised by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

In line with this approach, my Department is currently creating panels through open competitions for a number of posts in NPWS and I am pleased to note that there has been significant recruitment, including a national recruitment campaign for Conservation Rangers which is being managed by the Public Appointments Service. In addition, my Department is currently in the process of a number of recruitment campaigns for seasonal staff, across a number of grades, to manage our National Parks.