Seán Ryan
Question:77 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Finance the estimated cost of the refurbishment of Farmleigh House at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4679/01]
Written Answers. - State Property.
A contract was placed by the Commissioners of Public Works in July 2000 for major refurbishment works at Farmleigh House. The budget, which also includes professional fees, statutory charges and fitting-out etc., is £14.72 million.
The contractor is currently on site and completion of works is due by the end of June 2001. The main refurbishment project relates to the House and adjacent courtyard and will ensure that the House will be useable for the purpose for which it was purchased, namely as a venue for Government meetings and conference centre, including meetings requiring overnight accommodation and public access. The bulk of this work is required to upgrade services and facilities to convert the building from private to public use and to meet health and safety standards and public access requirements in the context of this changed use.
In addition to the main refurbishment contract, other works on buildings within the Farmleigh Estate, including some on the House, are being carried out by the building maintenance service of the Office of Public Works, on an ongoing basis. The estimate for the cost of these to end June 2001 is £600,000 approximately.
The estate's utilities are also being upgraded, contracts for which were placed in February 2001. These involve site infrastructural works such as a new ESB substation and boiler house, underground plumbing, gas and water mains, rationalisation of the ESB supply, telecommunications sys tems, new cables, external estate security systems etc. These works will service the House together with the satellite buildings and grounds of the estate. The cost of these works is approximately £1.4 million.