Departmental Funding

Thursday, 25 June 2026

Ceisteanna (108, 157)

Liam Quaide

Ceist:

108. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 652 and 653 of 19 May 2026, the basis on which his Department refused to identify geographical areas where funded NPWS enforcement posts are vacant, citing operational security; whether any written policy, risk assessment, legal advice or formal security assessment underpins that position; whether his Department considers information on conservation ranger, district conservation officer and regional manager vacancies to be more operationally sensitive than staffing information relevant to other State agencies such as An Garda Síochána, given that An Garda Síochána staffing numbers are published by division, district and station; if his Department will now publish NPWS staffing and vacancy information by region, district or county without naming individual staff members or their office bases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47871/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Liam Quaide

Ceist:

157. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the meaning of “operational security” in the context of refusing to provide geographical information on vacant National Parks and Wildlife Service enforcement posts; whether the term is defined in any Department or NPWS policy document; whether it has been applied consistently to all requests for NPWS staffing information; when this refusal to publish non-identifying staffing information came into effect; and if he will publish the policy or guidance it is based on. [47872/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 157 together.

Given the nature of wildlife crimes and enforcement in general, my Department does not provide information that may facilitate non-compliance with legal obligations or otherwise impair operational efficiency. This ensures staff safety and protects the integrity of investigations into wildlife crime, such as illegal trapping and habitat destruction.

My Department is working with Publicjobs to advertise a national recruitment process for Conservation Rangers. The process is at an advanced stage, with a competition to be advertised in the coming months. In recent months, the Department has engaged in recruitment campaigns for the roles of Regional Manager and District Conservation Officers.

Given the scale and diversity of functions and priorities, my Department does not maintain a fixed list of vacancies. According as posts are vacated, these are assessed against overall demand for resources meaning that the allocation of staffing is always directed towards the most critical areas. My Department keeps staffing matters under constant review in order to ensure that priority posts are filled in a timely manner and that resource allocations are balanced across the Department to meet key priorities as necessary.