I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 378 together.
In the period 2012 to date in 2020 some 164 prosecutions were taken by my Department for breaches of the Wildlife Acts ranging from illegal deer and hare hunting, the unlawful cutting of hedges and vegetation and the poisoning of bird species.
As well as more senior regionally based officers of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department, there are 72 NPWS conservation ranger posts stationed around the country who deal with enforcement matters under the Wildlife Acts. Frontline conservation rangers are deployed through a regional structure and assignments are determined in light of Departmental business needs and priorities. The Department is currently working with the Public Appointments Service (PAS), with a view to establishing a new recruitment panel for Conservation Rangers.
It is to be noted that it is not only officers of the National Parks and Wildlife Service that have a role in relation to wildlife crime. Officers of An Garda Síochána are also authorised under the Wildlife Acts to investigate and prosecute wildlife crimes and additional prosecutions have also been taken by the Gardai in this regard.
While bringing perpetrators of crime to justice is important, the success of dealing with wildlife crime cannot be judged on this alone, as ensuring compliance in the first instance is clearly of critical importance.
