The amount being sought this year for Vote 8, viz. £17,067,000, is £3,886,000 greater than the total amount voted last year.
There is a net increase of £375,000 in subheads A, B and C, which are the administrative subheads of the Vote. This is due almost entirely to salary increases under the National Agreement.
The provision under subhead D is mainly to cover purchases of sites and premises for Garda stations and other Government services in Dublin and the provinces and for the purchase of the fee simple of some existing leasehold properties.
A list of the works for which provision is made under subhead E has been supplied to Deputies. I will refer briefly to the more significant items.
Provision is being made, following on a recommendation of the security authorities and with the concurrence of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, who were specifically consulted in the matter, for the erection of a glass partition around the front of the public gallery. To avoid disturbing the House, it is proposed to have the work carried out during the summer recess. I am aware that many Deputies are averse to the idea but they will appreciate the need for the precautions being taken.
Items 3 to 42, accounting for a total provision of £2,122,000, fall under the generic heading of "Finance". They embrace a wider range of projects, including the provision, adaptation and improvement of accommodation for various Government Departments. The most important of these are the provision of new buildings for computer units at Inchicore and Kilmainham; the new building at Dublin Castle for the Stamping Branch and certain other staffs of the Revenue Commissioners; the fitting out and furnishing of the new office building in Kildare Place for the headquarters staff of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and some staff of the Department of Industry and Commerce; the provision of a new printing building for the Ordnance Survey Office; the erection of new offices for Government staffs at provincial centres; the erection of a new building at Clonskea for the Institute of Public Administration and the Training Centre of the Department of Finance and the erection of new office buildings in Dublin for various Departments.
Stage I of the computer building at Inchicore is almost complete. The computer, which will serve a number of Departments, has, in fact, already started operations. The planning of Stage II, which will involve the provision of an office building for the staff who will be directly associated with the computer system, is proceeding. The computer at Kilmainham, which is being installed at present, will be completely devoted to Revenue collection work. The Stamping Branch building at Dublin Castle and the office block in Kildare Place, both major projects, will be in commission before the end of this year. Work on the new printing building for the Ordnance Survey Office, which will fill a long felt want, will, it is hoped, start about the end of this year.
With the development and growth of Government services in the provinces, problems are continually arising over the provision of suitable offices for the staffs administering those services—the supply of such offices in practically every provincial town is completely inadequate. In the circumstances, plans are at present in hand for the erection of offices at seven centres, namely Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny, Mullingar, Roscommon, Tralee and Waterford. The offices at Drogheda and Tralee are already in course of construction; those at Letterkenny should start shortly, while the other four are at the design stage. It may be assumed that the erection of new offices at several other provincial centres will be necessary during the next few years.
The building at Clonskea for the Institute of Public Administration and the Department of Finance Training Centre is also at the design stage.
Here I might refer to the general problem of office accommodation for Government staffs in Dublin. It is unquestionably one of major difficulty.
As Deputies will be aware, recourse has had to be had to a considerable degree over the past seven years or so to the renting of space in privately developed office blocks. There was simply no alternative to this. Invariably the recurring creation of new services has called for the recruitment of the staffs needed to administer them with the minimum of delay and has left no opportunity, even if capital and other resources had been freely available, of catering for those staffs other than by renting. Ideally, of course, the State should design and erect all of its own office buildings. The provision of £500,000—Item 15 of the subhead—is intended to meet the start of such a programme. The initial scheme which is now being planned will involve a total expenditure of the order of £2.5 million over the next three years or so and will include the provision of modern offices in the Dublin area for, amongst others, the Meteorological Office, the Geological Survey Office and the headquarters of the Garda Síochána. It is to be hoped that it will be found possible to expand the programme and, in the long term, to bring the rents and rates Subhead of the Vote, which this year accounts for an anticipated outlay of over £1½ million compared with about £200,000 ten years ago, to a desirable low level.
I will now comment on other items of the subhead.
Items 29 (1) and (2) concern the restoration of Scoil Éanna, Rathfarnham, which was handed over to the State in 1970. Stage I, which consisted of reroofing of the building, provision of drainage and public toilets, is almost complete. Stage II will involve the complete internal rehabilitation of the buildings and it is hoped to commence work within the year. A considerable amount of work has been done on the clearance and landscaping of the grounds and on the provision of playing fields. The grounds are open to the public and constitute a valuable and desirable amenity, particularly for the Rathfarnham area.
Due to pressure of urgent work, Stage II of the restoration of the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham, has not got under way. A special effort will be made to have the planning of the work undertaken this year.
This provision is for improvements to the main landing place in Clare Island, County Mayo, which are being carried out in the interests of transport and communication. The existing pier is narrow and inadequate. The proposal is to extend and widen the pier, raise the deck level, extend the paved urea to provide a sloping quay, install a crane and provide a new winch and boat cradle. A contract has been placed for the work and, all going well, it should be completed by autumn 1974.
The car ferry terminal on the East Pier at Dún Laoghaire was provided in 1965 as a temporary measure pending completion of the permanent facilities at St. Michael's Wharf. In fulfilment of an undertaking given at the time of their construction, the temporary facilities are now being dismantled. The car customs building. fencing, Bailey Bridge, link span and syncrolift have been removed and the remaining features, the approach bridge and the outer of the two stem dolphins, will be dismantled this year.
This provision is for a new proposal. British Rail, who operate the mail boats and car ferries on the Dún Laoghaire—Holyhead route, propose to introduce multi-purpose ships to accommodate both passengers without cars, who are known as classic passengers, and those with cars. The vessels will continue to use the mail boat pier since operation from the car ferry terminal at St. Michael's Wharf would involve major difficulties.
To meet the new situation, it is proposed to construct a ramp at the mail boat pier for the unloading of cars and also a causeway connecting the pier to the car ferry terminal. This causeway would be on the seaward side of one of the yacht clubs but would be at a low level and would nut interfere with existing amenities. An opening would be provided for the passage of the yachts. While the entire cost of the project would be met from State funds, there would be recoveries from British Rail by way of rents for shore facilities and tonnage and goods rates. Preliminary consultations are in progress with the various interested parties, including the Dún Laoghaire Borough Corporation, in connection with the project.
Representations have been made to have the landing facilities on Inishbofin Island, County Galway, improved. Various possible ways of doing this were examined and these are under consideration. A necessary prerequisite for any scheme is a detailed survey of the harbour bed and a sub-soil investigation. The provision of £5,000 is for this work.
As Deputies are aware, the provisions for major fishery harbours, for works in the fishing interest and for miscellaneous marine schemes were transferred to the vote for Fisheries on 1st April, 1972, but the commissioners will still be responsible for executing these works as is the case with works carried out for Roinn na Gaeltachta and financed from funds provided in the Vote for that Department.
Items 34 to 42 refer to development projects undertaken by the Commissioners in the fields of amenity and conservation.
A total provision of £25,000 is being made for various improvements in the Bourn Vincent National Park. The park workshops need to be modernised to meet the increased work load; public toilets and an information kiosk are to be built at Torc waterfall; and a new park road is being developed for jaunting cars. At present the jaunting cars return from Torc waterfall along the main Killarney-Kenmare road. With the rapid expansion in motor traffic in recent years this is neither satisfactory for the motorists nor the jaunting car passengers. The new route, which is being planned in consultation with the jarveys' representatives, will provide a safer and more interesting tour for horsedrawn passengers within the national park.
Because of the very large numbers of people visiting Muckross House and gardens, the present water supply and sewage disposal systems are no longer adequate and provision is being made for the necessary improvements.
Tenders for the restoration of the picture gallery wing of Kilkenny Castle have had to be re-invited as the outcome of the original invitation was unsatisfactory. I sincerely hope that it will shortly be possible to have the work started. I know that many visitors to Kilkenny are disappointed when they find that the castle is not yet open to the public. As it will be a few years more before the picture gallery will be ready to receive visitors, the Commissioners are exploring the possibility of allowing the castle dining room to be used for small theatrical presentations, lectures and musical performances as an interim arrangement.
As Deputies will be aware, a public golf course is being developed at the Phoenix Park extension along the banks of the river Liffey. Preparatory site works have been in hands for some time and the planning of the course is at an advance stage. It is hoped to have the plans of the course lay-out and of the clubhouse facilities completed at an early date. It is the intention to provide an 18-hole course, but it will be developed in two stages of nine holes each. A sum of £30,000 is included for work in the current year.
In addition to the golf course it is hoped to provide some other leisure and recreation facilities in this area and the Commissioners are in consultation with the National Council for Sport and Recreation in this regard.
This year the Commissioners are stepping up considerably the provision for development of the Shannon Navigation. Two years ago they embarked on a general scheme of improvements on the navigation to cope with the growing popularity of pleasure cruising and other recreational uses. This confidence in the future of the waterway has been amply justified by the continued expansion and success of the hire cruiser business over the last two years despite the general decline in tourist earnings during that time. My information is that overseas bookings—mainly from the Continent— are very heavy again this year. It is clear that the money being spent on these development works is a worthwhile investment.
Work is to continue on the building of new quays at Portumna and Knockvicar. It is also intended to build new quays at Hodson's Bay, Grange and Athlone and to extend the existing quay at Mountshannon. The provision of automatic lifting gear for the bridge at Portumna to reduce road traffic delays when boats are passing through is under way. The total sum being provided for the works referred to is £48,000.
A sum of £16,000 is included for the building of a visitor centre at Dunmore Cave national monument. County Kilkenny. The water supply difficulties mentioned last year have at last been overcome with the co-operation of the Kilkenny County Council, and I expect that a tender will shortly be accepted for the building. Arrangements are going ahead for the installation of lighting in the cave and for the carrying out of archaeological and biological studies there this summer. Unless some unforseen problem arises, the centre should be open to the public next year.
A sum of £2,000 is included as an initial instalment of the cost of a visitor centre at Clonmacnoise national monument. The growing number of visitors to the monument makes this step necessary and both Bord Fáilte and the county council are co-operating in the scheme. When complete, the centre will contain a café, small shop, toilets, a caretaker's house and some museum accommodation. It is hoped to make a start on the project this year.
The sum of £5,000 included for the provision of a visitor and museum centre at Cashel represents an important development at what is perhaps our best known and most popular national monument. The centre will in no way intrude on the scene as it will be provided by the roofing of one of the existing buildings on the Rock, the Vicars' Choral. It is intended that the centre will be ready for 1975, which is Architectural Heritage Year.
It is proposed to establish a new depot at Killarney for the maintenance of national monuments in the Kerry and adjoining region. This whole region—especially the Dingle Peninsula —contains a wealth of historic remains which it has not been possible to service adequately up to now because of other commitments and the shortage of money and skilled staff. With the increased resources now available it is intended to remedy this situation.
While on the subject of national monuments in County Kerry I cannot let the occasion pass without expressing my appreciation—and I am sure the House will join with me in this—of the very generous decision of Mr. John McShain, Killarney House, to present the island of Innisfallen to the nation. The island will be a cherished part of the Killarney National Park and the ancient monastic remains on it will, I believe, in time rival Muckross Abbey as a point of interest for visitors. Mr. McShain has also agreed to place the historic Ross Castle in the guardianship of the Commissioners to enable them to carry out conservation works. As a first step it will be necessary to arrange for a detailed structural examination followed by an archaeological excavation of the site. Because of its condition the castle has for some time past been closed to visitors and it may be some years before it can be reopened to them.
A sum of £498,000, representing an increase of £208,000 over last year, is being provided for works for the Department of Justice, mainly for the erection of new Garda Síochána stations and the improvement of existing stations and the erection of temporary courts in Dublin.
Planning is proceeding for a new central headquarters at Limerick and work is expected to commence early in 1974. A large scheme of improvements is in progress at Store Street, Dublin. The new station at Waterford is virtually completed. New stations are being planned at a number of other centres and it is hoped that work will commence this year on at least 19 of them, including Skibbereen, Castleblayney, Castlerea, Granard and Kanturk.
Substantial works will be carried out this year for the Garda Technical Bureau. These works will provide the facilities to enable the bureau to discharge its specialised functions more efficiently.
Item 47 relates to a new building for the Garda Radio Communications Centre at Dublin Castle. Construction work has been finished and the installation of equipment is now proceeding.
The accommodation in the courts of justice complex is no longer adequate for requirements and the provision of additional space is a matter of urgency. As an interim measure to relieve the severe and increasing overcrowding, it is proposed to provide as soon as possible on a site adjacent to the Four Courts temporary accommodatiton for the Circuit Criminal Court. The Children's Court at present housed in unsuitable buildings at Dublin Castle will also be accommodated in the temporary building. This will give a breathing space for the planning, design and construction of permanent buildings which it is proposed to erect on a site which has been acquired at Smithfield. The new building, which will be a large and important addition to the State buildings in the capital. will house the District Courts, the Children's Court and other ancillary buildings including a Garda station. Because of the specialised nature of the complex and its significance as a public building, it has been decided to hold an architectural competition to obtain the best possible design. Arrangements for the competition will be undertaken as soon as possible and details will be made public in due course.
Items 51 and 57 are for the first stage of new office premises for staffs of the Departments of Education and lands at Athlone and Castlebar respectively. It is expected that a contract will shortly be placed for the Castlebar building and that tenders for the Athlone offices will be invited within the next month.
The grant expenditure on the building and improvement of primary schools last year was £3,830,000 approximately. The amount included for school building and improvement in this year's estimate is £5 million, the largest amount ever provided. It is expected that a large proportion of the money will again be spent on the erection of schools in new areas of towns and cities.
The provision of special schools for physically and mentally handicapped children is continuing. Works were completed last year on two new schools and on a major improvement scheme at an existing school. Works are at present in progress at nine other such schools and 18 projects are at various stages of preparation.
The provisions for buildings for research, training and advisory services for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries amount to £107,000. The main items are a regional veterinary research laboratory at Limerick, the performance testing station for beef bulls at Tully, County Kildare, and a district veterinary office at Carlow.
New meteorological stations are to be built at Mullingar and Claremorris and £13,000 is included for the purpose this year.
A sum of £344,000 is required for works for the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. Deputies will welcome the provisions for new buildings at several provincial centres including Clonmel, Donegal, Dungarvan, Listowel, Longford, Mullingar, Shannon and Tipperary. In the case of Tipperary the Commissioners of Public Works are sponsoring a competition for the design of the building. This competition will provide an excellent opportunity for young architects to show their ability and will, it is hoped, stimulate them to think about the design of public buildings in provincial towns.
In addition to the works referred to, the Office of Public Works will in the current financial year carry out for the telephone service works expected to cost about £1,180,000 which will be met out of the telephone capital account.
Subhead F. 1 provides for the maintenance of State property including State harbours, the river Shannon navigation and the national parks. Approximately two-thirds of the subhead is spent on normal day-to-day maintenance of Government offices, post office buildings. Garda Síochána stations, employment exchanges, Social Welfare offices and agricultural institutions. It also covers all maintenance arising from storm damage or other causes.
In regard to the Phoenix Park the report prepared by the architectural students of Bolton Street College of Technology on its future use contained many interesting recommendations which, I am happy to say, provoked widespread public interest. The Office of Public Works is currently examining the recommendations in consultation with all parties interested in the use of the park.
Part of the Kenmare Estate in Killarney was purchased in 1972 and is now open to the public. It is a valuable addition to the amenities of Killarney.
During the coming season it is hoped to operate an information centre at Garnish Island. Specially recruited and trained staff will be available at the centre to answer visitors' queries and to help them gain a better appreciation of this wonderful island garden. I hope that it may be possible at some later stage to extend the information service to include guided tours of the island.
Scientific investigation of conservation problems in the Bourn Vincent Memorial Park is proceeding under the sponsorship of the Office of Public Works. Reports on the first research projects have been received and the findings are being considered with a view to their practical application to park management in the near future.
Nature interpretation facilities for visitors to the various parks are being extended. Arrangements for nature trails at Derrynane and in the Phoenix Park are almost complete.
Subhead F2 provides for the supply of replacement furniture and additional items required for existing State buildings. The increase over last year's provision is due mainly to the continued expansion of the staffs of Government Departments and the increased cost of furniture and fittings. The subhead includes the cost of running a furniture repair workshop and the furniture prototype unit set up in 1969. Apart from prototype work, the unit provides furniture and fittings to a very high quality to meet special requirements and has been of particular assistance in raising the standards of furniture financed from public funds.
The increase under subhead F3 is due principally to the continuing need of leasing additional office space to accommodate the expanding staffs of various Departments and to increased rents of existing premises. Extra accommodation has had to be rented for the Departments of Finance, Agriculture and Fisheries, Labour, Local Government, Justice, Health, Foreign Affairs and Industry and Commerce, and provision has had to be made also for Roinn na Gaeltachta and the Department of Education.
In regard to subhead F. 4, considerable increases have taken place in costs of fuel and light in Government premises. These increases, together with the provision of additional office accommodation and the demand for higher standards in both existing and new accommodation, account for the increase in the provision for this subhead.
The opening of subhead F. 5 and the following subhead was agreed to under the Supplementary Estimate for Vote 8 last year. It is required to meet the cost of compensation, et cetera, arising from damage to the property of external Governments. The properties involved are the British Embassy, the British Passport Office, both damaged in February, 1972, the British Ministry of Health and Social Security in Cork and the German Embassy. The present total estimated cost of such compensation is £130,000.
Subhead F. 6, which is a new subhead, is required to meet expenditure by the Commissioners on repairs to Drogheda courthouse. The Minister for Justice, acting under section 6 of the Courthouses (Provision and Maintenance) Act, 1935, directed the Commissioners to put the accommodation at this courthouse into proper order. The total estimated cost of this work which is well advanced is £8,000. The costs and expenses incurred by the Commissioners on the work are, under the Act referred to, recoverable from the Louth County Council.
The G subheads provide for expenditure in connection with the arterial drainage programme which is being carried out under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945.
Subhead Gl for which £49,500, or £19,500 more than last year, is sought provides for the carrying out of certain hydrometric studies and of the comprehensive drainage surveys which are a necessary preliminary to arterial drainage schemes. In view of the number of catchments which have now been surveyed it has been found possible to reduce the sum to be provided for drainage surveys from £5,000 to £2,200 while, in line with the growing awareness of the need for increased study of our water resources and the increasing demand for data in connection with them the sum required for hydrometric investigations has been increased and is now £47,300 as compared with £25,000 in 1972-73.
Last year reference was made in the context of G1 to the matter of full scale cost/benefit analyses of arterial drainage. The report on these studies, which are centred on the Maigue and Groody Catchments, should be of great value in the assessment of future policy. The report should be available shortly.
Subhead G2 provides for expenditure on works in progress; £1,026,000 is being requested this year, an increase of £148,000 on last year's provision.
The increase is due to rising wages and costs and in addition provides for a start to be made this year on the Maigue catchment drainage scheme. There is demand for this scheme both by farmers of the catchment and various other interests. The principal charge on the Subhead continues of course to be the giant Boyne drainage scheme now in its fourth year. The money also provides for the completion of the Groody scheme in County Limerick and of the Corrib—Headford scheme.
Subhead G.3 provides for the maintenance of completed drainage schemes and embankment works. £643,200 is sought this year as against last year's final figure of £515,000. This increase reflects increased costs and also the completion of further schemes whose maintenance is now being provided for under the subhead.
I am asking for £518,400 for subhead H for the purchase and maintenance of engineering plant and machinery, the purchase of stores and the payment of wages to the workshop staffs. It is intended to continue with the planned replacement of the fleet of dragline excavators with more modern and more efficient hydraulic excavators which will reduce working costs.
Provision for coast protection works, under subhead I, has been increased to £79,500. The schemes at Moville, County Donegal, and Strandhill, County Sligo, have been completed. The work at Youghal, County Cork, is nearing completion and it is expected that a scheme at Rossnowlagh, County Donegal, will also be completed this year. The next scheme to be carried out is at Enniscrone, County Sligo. The preliminary requirements which have to be met under the Coast Protection Act, 1963, are being fulfilled in regard to this project and to proposals at Ballyvoile, County Waterford, and the Maharees, County Kerry. Deputies will appreciate that the procedures required by the Act are protracted; while the design of a scheme involves prolonged and detailed study with a high degree of specialised engineering skill. In the event the period between the initial application by a local authority and the commencement of work could run into some years.
Subhead J.1 provides for general expenditure on national monuments. The amount sought, £422,400, represents an increase of £108,400, on the amount voted last year. As pressure on the environment increases, due to the accelerated rate of industrial and agricultural development, the need to protect our heritage of monuments and sites increases. Monuments of national importance have to be afforded the protection of the National Monuments Acts, and more than 1,000 are already in State care. Monuments of less importance which have to be destroyed to make way for development work have to be scientifically excavated and recorded.
There is a growing emphasis on the proper presentation of monuments and this year it is planned to extend the guide information service during the tourist season to Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Jerpoint Abbey, County Kilkenny and Aughnanure Castle County Galway, in addition to Cashel, Cahir and Newgrange.
I have decided to have Charles Fort, Kinsale, formally scheduled us a national monument and to have conservation works started there this year. A sum of £10,000 approximately will be devoted to this monument alone in 1973-4 in view of its importance as one of the best examples of a 17th-century military fort in these islands. Its massive proportions and commanding situation at the mouth of Kinsale Harbour make it popular and interesting for visitors and local residents alike.
The work force required to service the monuments in State care has been expanded to approximately 150 men. It is divided into five districts, each controlled by a clerk of works. During the years a skilled team of stone masons, carpenters and general operatives has been built up, which means that the skills and careful workmanship required in this field are available. I am allowing in the amount sought for further expansion by the creation of one further district this year in the south-west, Killarney area, as I already mentioned in connection with subhead E. The creation of smaller and more compact districts leads to the provision of a better maintenance service.
Each year a programme of works is undertaken designed if possible to ensure that every monument in State care receives attention. This programme comprises major conservation schemes, minor repairs and routine maintenance.
Major conservation schemes will continue this year at Portumna Castle and Clontuskert Abbey, County Galway; Ballyhack Castle and St. Selskar's Abbey, Wexford; Kells Priory, County Kilkenny; Trim Castle, Knowth and Newgrange, County Meath. Conservation schemes were completed last year at St. Francis Abbey, Kilkenny; Kanturk Castle, County Cork; Creevelea Abbey and Parks Castle, County Leitrim; Claregalway Abbey, County Galway and Ardmore, County Waterford. In the current year works are due to commence at King John's Castle, Limerick; St. Mac Dara's Island, County Galway; Kilbolane Castle, County Cork; Ferns Castle, County Wexford; and the Casino, Marino, Dublin.
Minor repairs are carried out each year at a large number of monuments. Last year these included Kilcooly and Athassel Abbeys, County Tipperary; Fore Abbey, County Westmeath; Monasterboice, County Louth; Straide and Moyne Abbeys, County Mayo.
Routine maintenance is undertaken in the summer months by travelling teams who visit monuments and undertake grasscutting, tidying, removal of wall growths and spraying ivy and weeds. This service is being stepped up this year when it is expected that more than 75 per cent of all monuments in the Commissioners' care will be reached upon.
Archaeological excavations at 23 sites were financed and either serviced or directly undertaken in 1972 by the Commissioners. Eleven of these were excavations recommended for grant by the Royal Irish Academy for the purposes of academic research. Two are rescue excavations being carried out by the National Museum in the High Street-Winetavern Street area of Dublin prior to building development by the Dublin Corporation. These sites have proved exceptionally rich in artefacts and are of international significance, throwing much light on lifestyles here back to Viking times. Two rescue excavations, one at Lisconly, County Galway, and the other at Breedogue, County Sligo, were undertaken to record monuments before destruction prior to agricultural development and road widening respectively. Six excavations were carried out at national monument sites as a preliminary to conservation works.
The archaeological survey set up in 1965 to record scientifically and make a national inventory of all monuments will continue its work this year in Counties Westmeath, Longford and Cavan.
The erection of information plaques in co-operation with Bord Fáilte at national monuments has been in progress during the past year and many of our more important monuments such as, for example, Glendalough, Co. Wicklow; Trim Castle, County Meath; Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon; and Ross Errilly Friary, County Galway, have been so provided. The erection of further plaques is being arranged.
Subhead J. 2 provides for a further grant-in-aid towards the cost of the restoration of Holycross Abbey, County Tipperary, for which special legislation was enacted in 1969. The cost of the restoration work is being recouped by the Archdiocese of Cashel who make periodic lodgments which are credited to subhead L. The cost of conservation works to the fabric of the monument is being borne by the State. Good progress is being made in overcoming the many technical problems posed by the restoration of a 15th-century building. The project is of wide interest and accords with the growing international emphasis on the rehabilitation of ancient buildings.
Subhead K covers the annual grant-in-aid for the operation and maintenance of the yacht Asgard. The Asgard is administered by a committee set up by the Government and is being used for the training of young people in the art of sailing. Also, she has participated with notable success in a number of important races for sail training vessels, including international events. I understand that the committee have quite a big programme this year extending from March to October, and that this will include international racing.
My statement gives an idea of the widespread activities of the Office of Public Works. If any Deputy wants further information on any matter I have touched on, or if I have omitted reference to any item in which a Deputy has particular interest, I shall be happy to try to give it to him in my reply.
