The monitoring and protection of designated areas is carried out principally by 118 national parks and wildlife regional staff attached to Dúchas, the Heritage Service of my Department. Their numbers and grades are as follows: 90 conservation rangers, ten district conservation officers, nine deputy regional managers/regional ecologists – inspectors grade III, six regional managers – inspectors grade II, and three divisional managers – inspectors grade I.
The resources required by my Department to meet changing statutory responsibilities are constantly under review. I am satisfied that the staffing resources outlined, which are a substantial increase on those in place before the habitats directive was implemented, are reasonable at the present time.
I have no immediate proposals to add to the existing list of 362 candidate SACs, apart from the position as outlined in my separate reply to the Deputy regarding salmon sites. Having regard to the number and extent of candidate SACs that I have now proposed, I anticipate that Ireland's proposals will be found sufficient for most habitats and species at the second Atlantic region seminar. Only then will it become clear whether Ireland should propose more sites for particular habitats or species, in order to contribute to the Natura 2000 network in proportion to the contributions of other member states.
I am arranging for details of all areas proposed as candidate SACs to be supplied to the Deputy.