asked the Minister for Finance if he will state with reference to the Collins-Griffith-O'Higgins memorial at Leinster Lawn, and the forecourt of Leinster House, the total cost of the granite work, and the estimated cost of doing this work in (a) precast slabs, and (b) Portland stone; and further, if he will state the various advantages of doing the work in granite rather than in either of the other materials.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Leinster Lawn Memorial.
Mr. Brady
The total cost of the granite work in the Collins-Griffith-O'Higgins Memorial at Leinster Lawn and in the forecourt of Leinster House is £12,000.
The cost of using precast concrete slabs in the forecourt would have been approximately £1,500 as against £2,600 for granite, but they are regarded as quite unsuitable for this type of work or for the memorial.
Portland stone would have been suitable for the shaft of the memorial and the cost would probably have been about the same as granite. This material would be unsuitable for the pavement surrounding the memorial or for the forecourt and no estimate was made of the cost of using it.
On artistic and practical grounds granite was selected as the best native material for the memorial. Native limestone was also considered, but the requisite sizes of stones were not available. Granite, as used for the forecourt is considered to be the most suitable native stone for paving.
Mr. Brady
I wonder would the Parliamentary Secretary be good enough to pass that information on to the Minister for Health and have it applied to the hospitals?