Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2016
563. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the budget that has been allocated to the Office of Public Works for the maintenance and repair of national monuments for the years 2008 to 2015; if he will provide a list of moneys spent for minor repairs on each of the 780 national monuments for the same years. [13464/16]
View answerThe Heritage Services of the Office of Public Works is responsible for the conservation, care and management of approximately 1,000 National Monuments structures at 780 locations that are in State ownership or guardianship. The conservation and presentation of these monuments involves a mixture of activities including major and minor conservation projects, works to facilitate or improve the presentation and interpretation of sites and ongoing maintenance. The budget allocation for these works from 2008 to 2015 is detailed in Table A.
Table A
|
- |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Allocation €m |
18.502 |
17.549 |
15.222 |
14.678 |
14.731 |
14.163 |
14.067 |
15.17 |
In general terms, these works are intended to consolidate National Monument structures in place and, where appropriate and feasible, to carry out certain elective conservation works to enhance the historic value. Given the antiquity of the fabric in the portfolio, a considerable amount of effort is required overall to maintain Monuments in a structurally-stable condition and this consideration demands a significant amount of ongoing effort, often continuing over a period of years.
Apart from fabric issues, there are also general maintenance requirements involving seasonal issues such as grasscutting, weed spraying and bramble removal, painting and whitewashing, small general repairs and preventive maintenance etc. It also involves servicing the guided visitor sites ensuring that they have adequate supplies, maintaining access, signage, fencing etc to required standards and addressing general visitor wear and tear issues.
Table B details the total of all such expenditure each year for the period in question.
Table B
|
- |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Expenditure €m |
18.795 |
17.34 |
15.557 |
14.566 |
14.425 |
14.312 |
14.844 |
15.422 |
