Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 2

Written Answers - National Parks.

Michael Ring

Question:

236 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the funding, if any, earmarked in 1998 for the proposed national park in north Mayo; and, if no money is earmarked for 1998, when funding will be put in place. [9722/98]

Michael Ring

Question:

237 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the amount of money paid for the property purchased in Ballycroy for the location of an office for Dúchas. [9723/98]

Michael Ring

Question:

238 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the decision, if any, she has made on the location of the interpretative centre for the proposed national park in north Mayo; and, if no decision has been made, when she will do so. [9724/98]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

Tógfaidh mé Ceist-eanna Uimh. 236 agus Uimh. 238 le chéile.

No specific capital allocation has been earmarked by my Department for expenditure on the proposed national park in the current year and the question of future funding will be examined in the light of requirements for land acquisition for the park.

As I already explained to the Deputy in my reply to previous questions in relation to this matter, a sum of £2 million was allocated under the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99 for the establishment of a visitor centre for the park. However, a prerequisite of EU Structural Funding was the necessity to have the works completed by the end of 1999. As indicated by me in my reply to Question No. 35 of 27 November 1997, under the mid-term review of the EU Structural Funds Community Support Framework, a reduction of ten million ECU was made on the European Regional Development Fund allocation for Sub Programme I of the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99, for which my Department has responsibility. As it was clear that the visitor centre project could not have been completed before the end of 1999, it was decided to include the funding allocated to it as part of the decommitments required to meet this ten million ECU reduction and this was also indicated in my reply of 27 November 1997. It is my intention to resubmit the application for assistance from Structural Funds in the post-1999 period.

As regards the location of the proposed visitor centre I am examining the various options and I hope to make a decision on the matter in the near future. In relation to the purchase by my Department of a property on 23.09 hectares of land near Ballycroy for development as an administration centre and to provide office accommodation and storage facilities for the proposed Mayo National Park, the purchase price was of the order of £300,000.