asked the Taoiseach the body which will now make recommendations regarding the disposal of some of the funds of the national lottery following his decision to abolish the National Heritage Advisory Council; if he will indicate the amount of money that will be made available for heritage and conservation projects; the manner in which the decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Heritage and Conservation Projects.
3.
Consideration is being given at present to the establishment of a broadly-based national heritage council to advise on all aspects of conservation and the protection and preservation of our national heritage. The advice of this body will be taken into account in the allocation of direct Exchequer and lottery funds.
Why does the Taoiseach not consider it appropriate that allocations under the national lottery were also made in the context of the Estimates just published?
The question deals with the moneys for the conservation and protection of the national heritage. My reply is to the effect that we are going to set up a broadly based council who will advise on the disbursement of lottery funds in that area and future allocations of Exchequer funds.
Let me clarify the question because the Taoiseach probably misunderstood. Why does the Taoiseach not see fit to announce the disbursement of lottery funds with the rest of the Estimates?
As the Deputy knows, some of the lottery funds for this year have already been allocated. Another tranche will shortly now be decided upon. My colleagues and I felt that it would be better to publish the Extimates, have the reaction of the Dáil on those Estimates——
You will get that.
——and if particularly pressing cases were made in particular areas we could take that into account in the allocation.
Did I understand the Taoiseach to say that he intends to set up a broadly based council to advise him on national heritage matters having just abolished the National Heritage Advisory Council? Would he not agree that that is a completely contradictory approach to take? Would he further not agree that it makes no sense whatever to come into this House, having abolished the National Heritage Advisory Council, and tell us that he is going to set up another council with no provision having been made for that anywhere in the Estimates.
On the face of it I can understand the Deputy's perplexity, but there is a very rational explanation for it. The council who were there were very limited in the ambit of their responsibilities. They really were only a council to advise on buildings, and a limited range of buildings. I discussed the matter with the chairman of the council and explained to him that I was anxious to set up a much more broadly based council who would have general responsibility for all the heritage and conservation area and that perhaps we would consider having his council subsumed into that and maybe a sub-committee of this broadly based council having responsibility for what is now under the jurisdiction of the present National Heritage Advisory Council. Really I am aiming for a much more broadly based council responsible for the whole area and not at all to do away with the responsibility which the present council are discharging.
A final supplementary, Deputy Dukes.
I find all of that very interesting and still somewhat perplexing. Is the Taoiseach saying now that the new council that he proposes to set up will have a wider remit than the previous National Heritage Advisory Council? What provision has been made in the Taoiseach's Estimates for 1988 for this new, more broadly based council with a wider remit to pursue their activities?
I am afraid we are having a broadening of this question.
The Deputy is experienced enough in administration to know that that advisory council do not necessarily have to have any funds at their disposal.
(Interruptions.)