Vol. 575 No. 4
71 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the progress being made with regard to the implementation of the package of measures agreed with IMPACT to facilitate proper conservation management of natural heritage; and when a conservation ranger to cover north County Dublin will be in place as part of this new organisational arrangement. [28473/03]
An overall country-wide package of measures involving the re-organisation of the National Parks and Wildlife Service – NPWS – of my Department was agreed with the main trade union involved in June of this year. These measures include an improvement in the regional structures of the NPWS, involving an increase in the number of operational divisions from three to four, in the number of regions from six to eight and a consequent re-organisation of individual staff responsibilities and area boundaries.
To give effect to these arrangements new appointments are required in all NPWS conservation management grades. Competitions have already been held and appointments made at divisional manager and regional manager level, with the latter requiring a supplementary competition which is currently under way. A new divisional ecologist has been appointed and a further such appointment will be made in the near future.
Applications have also been invited for a competition for deputy regional managers and interviews will take place shortly. The next stage of the process will be the holding of a competition early in the new year for posts at district conservation officer level. Consequential requirements, such as new staff accommodation, are being simultaneously addressed.
Arrangements are also in hands for the recruitment of additional conservation rangers through the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners. Provision for specific conservation ranger coverage of the north County Dublin area will be made within the revised overall organisational arrangements. In the meantime, coverage of this area is being provided from within the present complement of personnel.
These arrangements will significantly improve the conservation management of our natural heritage for the future.
