Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 3 Nov 1998

Vol. 495 No. 7

Written Answers. - Education Centres.

Enda Kenny

Ceist:

560 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the number of permanent and temporary employees at the Knocksink Wood Nature Reserve Education Centre and the Killarney National Park Education Centre; the amount awarded by contract in each case in respect of each of the past two contracts; the number of visitors recorded to each education centre for the past three years; if she will provide a breakdown of these numbers into school going population, non-school going population, numbers of Irish visitors and numbers of overseas visitors; the plans, if any, she has to extend the education centre concept to the remaining and proposed national parks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20970/98]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

As the education centres referred to by the Deputy are both operated on contract for Dúchas, the Heritage Service of my Department, the number of persons employed at the centres is a matter for the contractors concerned.

There has been only one previous contract to run the Killarney National Park education centre, which covered the years 1989 and 1990. The total amount paid on foot of that contract was £22,420. The education centre at Killarney National Park was run on an informal basis from 1990 to 1997 and accordingly no visitor figures are available. Dúchas has endeavoured to put the centre on a formal footing for some time and has reached agreement with Cappanlea outdoor education centre to run the centre and a contract will be signed shortly.

The former contract to run the education centre at Knocksink spanned seven and a half years (including extensions) and involved direct payments totalling £158,854. As the former contractor for the Knocksink education centre is no longer involved in it, the visitor numbers for previous years are not readily available to Dúchas.

There are various education programmes in existence at other national parks. A formal programme has been running at Wicklow Mountains National Park since 1992. While there are no proposals at present to open full education centres at other national parks, the issue of education in national parks and nature reserves is reviewed from time to time. Aside from site based education programmes, Dúchas rangers and other staff visit schools and other institutions to give educational talks.