asked the Minister for the Environment if he has made a final decision on the location of the new headquarters for An Foras Forbartha and, if so, if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - An Foras Forbartha Headquarters.
16.
The Government, in furtherance of their policy of decentralisation, have authorised me to pursue, as a matter of urgency, with the Board of An Foras Forbartha the feasibility of obtaining an adequate site and providing suitable accommodation for An Foras on Fota Island, County Cork. I have already initiated an examination by my Department in connection with the matter.
Could I ask the Minister if he regards An Foras Forbartha as a preserved species or a species which requires preservation?
Preservation, yes.
On what logic does he suggest that An Foras Forbartha should be relocated on Fota Island?
For one very good reason. This is the type of operation in which An Foras Forbartha are involved. They would, I should think, need to be adjacent to a university or a NIHE or similar type of building. It so happens that the owners of Fota Island are UCC. They indicated that they would be prepared to make a site available there for the decentralisation of An Foras Forbartha. Furthermore, at present An Foras Forbartha cannot continue to operate with their present accommodation, at laboratory level or otherwise. They will have to get new accommodation if they are to do their work properly, either in Dublin or outside Dublin.
With the permission of the Chair, could I ask the Minister, since he has expressed, and demonstrated, a concern for decentralisation, would he not consider that perhaps an institution that is concerned with physical planning and construction might be more adequately and reasonably decentralised by being placed in the central city area of either Cork city or Dublin city rather than in the unattainable suburbs of either?
If the Deputy knows where Fota Island is situated, it is quite near Cork city.
It is still the suburbs.
There is a regular train service into and out of Cork city and every kind of facility available.
They are still not in west Cork.
Would the Minister not consider, in view of the terrible scarcity of money for local authority housing, that this sort of thing, like the Taoiseach's new house and other proposals, is a lot of nonsense at the present time?
That is another question.
That is a separate matter.
With the permission of the Chair, could I finally ask the Minister what is the estimated cost involved in transferring An Foras Forbartha from St. Martin's House to any other location?
I have not got the estimated cost but will let the Deputy know, when I have it.