Vol. 424 No. 10
30 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Finance the reason that members of the National Association of Regional Game Councils have been excluded from membership of the recently appointed Wildlife Advisory Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Section 13, subsection 7, of the Wildlife Act, 1976, requires that the composition of the Wildlife Advisory Council include, and "persons by reason of their knowledge or experience of, or interest in, agriculture, fisheries, field sports, the conservation of wildlife or some other science", as will assist materially in the furtherance of wildlife conservation. There is therefore no requirement to appoint to it members of any particular organisation.
All members of the recently appointed Wildlife Advisory Council have been appointed in their personal capacities and not as the representatives of particular organisations. However, I made specific individual offers to a member of the National Association of Regional Game Councils and I made a general offer to all the members of that Body, on the basis of personal expertise. The individual offers were not accepted; the general offer was initially accepted and later withdrawn. I therefore proceeded to appoint the Wildlife Advisory Council as is my statutory function under section 13 (7) of the Wildlife Act, 1976, and I am satisfied that this was the correct course of action.
I am entirely satisfied that the Council I have appointed is fully competent to deal with all aspects of its remit. The matter is now sub judice and I have nothing further to add.
