Vol. 559 No. 6
239 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the State properties, both lands and buildings, in the ownership of his Department; the present use of same in each case; and if it is available for disposal. [26916/02]
The State, through my Department, owns Ireland's six national parks: Killarney, County Kerry; the Wicklow mountains, County Wicklow; Connemara, County Galway; the Burren, County Clare; Glenveagh, County Donegal; and Ballycroy, County Mayo. These national parks comprise some 59,221 hectares of land and are managed by my Department in accordance with the guidelines of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN.
My Department also owns 66 of Ireland's 77 nature reserves, comprising some 16,721 hectares. The remaining 11 nature reserves are privately owned but are managed by their owners in agreement with my Department.
All the buildings on both these categories of lands are also State-owned and are used primarily for visitor appreciation – such as Muckross House in Killarney national park and Glenveagh Castle in Glenveagh national park – as well as for accommodation for some personnel of the national parks and the wildlife service of my Department. In addition, there are more than 700 national monuments and historic properties in the care of my Department, which are protected and which can be appreciated by the public. It is not intended to dispose of any of the State lands or buildings to which the Deputy referred.
