As Deputies are no doubt aware, I have been ill and my doctor gave me permission to come here today to make my contribution to this Estimate. It the Parliamentary Secretary will forgive the green eye of the little yellow god I will make my contribution.
Unfortunately, as this is a limited debate, the nice things I will be saying about the Parliamentary Secretary will be the first to suffer. My notes were made in a hurry and if I seem to be hopping backwards and forwards, I hope the Parliamentary Secretary will bear with me. He has been in office long enough to know that the standard of living is very important, but the standards by which we live are far more important. The Office of Public Works makes a very important contribution to this concept.
When I see things like national parks being used for purposes for which they were not intended I not unnaturally worry. The Phoenix Park is owned by the State. It is not a possession of the Dublin Corporation, yet it provides a major road link from Islandbridge to Castleknock and from Islandbridge to Cabra Gate. If the Park authorities decided to close these roads to through traffic, the corporation's lack of proper road planning would be very seriously exposed. Indeed, the misplanning of the roadways by the Dublin Corporation is further exposed by their decision to interfere with the first national golf course on land that cannot be economically developed as football pitches because of the steep gradients. If the corporation encroach on this land, they should provide at least for the expense of a footbridge across the Liffey so that the Office of Public Works land on the north side could be incorporated into the proposed golf course. The reason why that land was not incorporated in the plans which were in operation when the Parliamentary Secretary took office was that the cost of the footbridge would have been very high and we found we could manage without it, even though it shortened the course.
There is also a system in Germany which may be able to shore up this proposed motorway from Sarsfield Road to Lucan without encroaching upon as much land as is now planned. The Parliamentary Secretary should appeal to the Minister for Local Government because the corporation have not compulsory purchase rights over any State-owned property without the consent of the Minister for Local Government. I understand the Minister has given that consent, probably without consultation with the Parliamentary Secretary. It is a shame to see such parks as the Phoenix Park being used as major highways when they were intended as places of recreation for visitors and the people of our city.
I was also concerned when I heard that the Parliamentary Secretary would succumb to pressure by the Muckross House Committee. I was in Killarney not too long ago and I heard a rumour that a form of commercialisation will be allowed there which I, when in office, resisted. I hope the rumour is not correct. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary in his reply will assure me that it was false. I went to look at the Blue Pool and a magnificent job has been done restoring it. It is a delight to see the clear water and the nature trail gave tremendous pleasure. That work had been agreed to by the previous Administration but it had been carried out by the present Administration. The thinning out of the trees at the car parks behind the Muckross Hotel is very helpful, although I think a few more might have been taken down. Although this has nothing to do with the Parliamentary Secretary, the view has been greatly improved since the Europa Hotel decided to paint the roofs of their chalets green. They no longer stick out like a sore thumb.
As this was Office of Public Works land, the planting of trees was allowed only at a time when it was necessary to get people back to work. In our urgency we can be accused of bad planning because we allowed commercial trees to be planted in our nature spots. I was very pleased with the work that had been done in Killarney. The waterfall at Torc to which the Parliamentary Secretary refers in his brief will fit in very well. The water is supplied by gravity. It was very well concealed by the builder, who has taken a very personal interest in it to ensure that this construction will be a tribute to his good taste. I am sure it will be, although it was not finished when I was there. If it is to be finished as I saw it, there is no doubt that this builder will be sought after by people who have permission to build in any of the amenity areas around there. You can get planning permission in a very few places, but the odd one comes up from time to time.
I am concerned about the Kenmare estate. The Parliamentary Secretary did not refer to it. This land was taken over about two and a half years ago and there is a building on it. I should like to know how it is being incorporated in the national park. What are the proposals for the house? Could it be developed as a holiday residence for the President or the Taoiseach, or a residence for foreign statesmen visiting here? Could it be developed as a national museum as distinct from the folk museum we have in Muckross House? It would be a pity if this very valuable land which was acquired at a reasonable price, according to going values, should be allowed to lie there and not be properly developed.
When I read the Parliamentary Secretary's statement it struck me that I could have made the very same speech three years ago. This indicates to me that very little has been done. This may not be the fault of the Parliamentary Secretary. I imagine it would be difficult to work under the Minister for Finance since I doubt that he would understand the problems of park development. In times of economic strain the Office of Public Works are the first to be cut financially. The 25 per cent referred to by the Parliamentary Secretary just meets inflation. Even if it does meet inflation, there should be more evidence of activity. There is very little in the Parliamentary Secretary's statement that is new or was not sanctioned by the previous Administration.
We tried an experiment towards the end of my term of office. We had complaints about the conditions of the Garda barracks and stations throughout the country. I am sure the Parliamentary Secretary is still hearing those complaints. There were so many substandard Garda buildings that nobody was satisfied with the progress the Office of Public Works were making in replacing them. The Commissioners came up with the idea of consulting with the various system builders. We ordered six or eight identical system-built barracks simultaneously and we saved money and got them up quickly. I have heard of complaints from the general public about this type of structure, but I have heard no complaints from the Garda authorities or from the gardaí themselves. They all seem very pleased with this new accommodation. I wonder would the Parliamentary Secretary consider providing more of these system-built stations, because they save money and speed up matters?
The proposed new building in the Dublin metropolitan area seems to be taking a very long time to get under way. I should like to see work started on that site pretty soon. In the Dublin metropolitan area, in Dublin Castle and other places, the Garda have serious grievances about the accommodation available to them. As I said, there may have been some complaints about the system-built barracks by the public but there were no complaints from the Garda. In this case there are complaints by the public and by the Garda. This discontent about the accommodation would be minimised if the actual physical work were seen to have started on the site. I would urge the Parliamentary Secretary to speed up this work to the best of his ability.
I assume that the code which was introduced for the disabled will apply to these new buildings. I should like to know how it has been working out. The intention was that every once in a while the code would be examined and amended if necessary. I should like to know if the Parliamentary Secretary or the Commissioners have been in touch with the Wheelchair Association, or other voluntary bodies of that nature, to find out where and how this code might be improved. The Parliamentary Secretary could do this on his own. He does not have to come before the House in relation to it. He should consult the appropriate bodies to see if they are satisfied with how the code is working. If they are anxious for improvements or changes, he should have them examined and make them where he finds them desirable. This matter was neglected for a long time. Whether the code is suitable and whether more physical work should be carried out in providing ramps or special toilets in existing public buildings should be examined.
It is nice to know that the 57 acres at Tara are in the possession of the State. I realise the Parliamentary Secretary and the Commissioners have a very difficult problem here. Even the little notices which were put up to identify where the great hall was, and where this that or the other was, had been knocked down and destroyed by vandals the last time I was there. There may be some way in which this type of vandalism can be prevented.
I realise that no development can take place to improve or reconstruct some of the former buildings until an archaeological survey has been carried out. That place will have to be surveyed over a long number of years. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary could tell me what plans he has for such a survey. I assume there will be one. When this survey gets under way, I would be happy were it done in sections, so that, at no time, would the entire 57 acres be closed to the general public. I know many of the archaeologists would like to fence it all in and have it to themselves for the next 15 or 20 years, but that would be a selfish attitude. Were the survey carried out in stages there might be a lot to be learned about our heritage. Probably a lot of very valuable artifacts would be found and, as in Newgrange, we might discover that 6,000 years ago man did not hunt for food but for pleasure. We found that he ate grain, no sugar, and, therefore, had no cavities in his teeth; that he had pigs, goats, cattle and sheep. All of that was discovered by the survey carried out there and which, as far as I am aware, is still in progress.
I do not think an explanation has been advanced yet—if it has I should like to know—as to why at a certain time on a certain day the sun shines in on the main urn. Apparently, there is some reason for that but the last time I made inquiries there was still a lot of speculation about it and different theories being advanced.