asked the Minister for Finance if he will state in relation to Ross Castle, Killarney, County Kerry (a) the total sum of money (approximately) spent to date on its conservation and protection; (b) the estimated cost of completing, conserving, maintaining and protecting the castle; and (c) when approximately all stages of work will be completed.
Written Answers. - Ross Castle, Killarney.
624.
A total of £165,000 has been spent to date on Ross Castle to prevent its collapse and to undo some of the less sympathetic alterations of the last 300 years. The total estimated cost of completing the conservation, maintenance and protection of the castle cannot be computed until the detailed plans for the major structural consolidation are received from the structural consultants engaged last year. In the absence of the detailed plans it would be premature, as indicated in my reply of 19 April 1983, to give a date by which all stages will be completed.