Vol. 542 No. 6
89 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Finance if officials from the Office of Public Works visited Mount Falcon House, Ballina, County Mayo with a view to assessing its potential for purchase as a State acquisition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22829/01]
The office of Public Works has no requirement for a property like Mount Flacon at present and, consequently, it is not considered necessary to carry out a detailed assessment of the property.
The historic properties division of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands was also consulted in the matter, to establish whether it had an interest in acquiring the property. However, it confirmed that it was not in a position at present to undertake a project of this scale, having regard to its present and ongoing commitments. I also understand that the Mount Falcon property is under consideration to be deemed a protected structure in the next development plan for the county.
