Vol. 539 No. 2
20 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Finance the cost to the State of the purchase of Farmleigh House; the anticipated total cost of the refurbishment programme and the installation of security equipment; the access there will be for the public to the house and grounds when the work is completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19038/01]
The Farmleigh property was purchased for £23 million.
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. was £14.72 million. The contractor is on site and completion of the works is due by the end of June 2001. The final cost of the works will not exceed the original budget.
In addition to the main refurbishment contract other works on buildings within the Farmleigh Estate, including some on the house, are being carried out on an ongoing basis. The estimate for the cost of these is £2.2 million approximately up to August 2001.
The estate's utilities are also being upgraded, contracts for which were placed in February 2001. The cost of these works is approximately £1.4 million.
The installation of security equipment is included in the overall cost of these aforementioned works at a cost of approximately £1 million.
It is proposed to open the property for State use and to allow public access in July 2001. Facilitating public access is an important part of the overall development plan for Farmleigh. The objective is to ensure that the house and the grounds are accessible by the public to the greatest extent possible, consistent with State requirements and planning considerations.
A final grant for temporary planning permission to hold events, for a period of five years, was obtained on 10 April 2001.
The official opening of Farmleigh is scheduled to take place on 28 July 2001 when an open day will be held in the estate. Tickets to attend the opening will be made available to the general public. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis through local and national radio stations to ensure the widest possible distribution of, and access to, invitations.
