Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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290. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if jobs have been advertised to address the closure of tours for Glenveagh Castle in County Donegal on Mondays and Friday due to staffing issues; if not, when jobs will be advertised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53273/25]

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to confirm that Glenveagh National Park remains open to visitors seven days a week all year around and, as with all National Parks managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), entry is free. In addition to amenities such as walks, trails, viewing points and toilets, the Visitor/Exhibition Centre, Castle Gardens and shuttle bus remain available to the public almost every day of the year with an on-site café also available. A charge is levied for the optional use of the shuttle bus and to tour Glenveagh Castle itself.

While the information desk in Glenveagh Castle itself remains open seven days a week, the tours of the Castle are currently operating on a 5 day-a-week schedule, with tours currently not scheduled for Mondays and Fridays. This arrangement was introduced to ensure health and safety requirements are met and to ensure available staffing resources are maximised across the Park while reflecting patterns of visitor demand and minimising impacts on the public.

Staffing levels across my 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, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. As part of its ongoing workforce planning processes my Department keeps these matters under constant review in order to ensure all priority vacancies are filled in a timely manner and that resource allocations are balanced across the Department to meet key priorities as necessary.

My Department's latest round of formal workforce planning is currently underway and the outcome of this process will determine the estimated number of vacancies in the Department including in Glenveagh National Park and the wider NPWS. The workforce planning process seeks to strategically assess gaps in service delivery that can be addressed on a priority basis in light of the available resources.

The NPWS continues to promote and ensure safe access to the amenities at Glenveagh National Park, delivering a high quality visitor experience whilst undertaking important conservation work, safeguarding the historic property of Glenveagh Castle and protecting the natural assets and biodiversity located throughout the Park.