asked the Minister for the Environment the up-to-date position regarding the renovation and extension of Dingle library, County Kerry.
16.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dingle (Kerry) Library.
15.
asked the Minister for the Environment if the proposal for the renovation and extension of Dingle library, County Kerry, at an estimated cost of £50,000 which has been awaiting sanction from his Department since July 1981 will be sanctioned without further delay.
17.
asked the Minister for the Environment when he will sanction the proposed renovation and extension of Dingle library at an estimated cost of £50,000 in view of the obvious urgency of the scheme.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 16 and 17, inclusive, together.
Kerry County Council's proposal to reconstruct Dingle branch library has been approved by my Department from the technical point of view. The appliction for loan sanction for the scheme will be considered in the context of the limited capital available for library development and the large number of other applications on hand for capital for this purpose.
Is the Minister aware of the urgency of this proposal in view of the fact that Kerry County Council intend to use Dingle library for various exhibitions in 1985, it being the centenary of the birth of Thomas Ashe? In view of this will he ensure the necessary approval and finance?
It is under consideration together with a number of other applications. A total of £860,000 was made available from the Local Loans Fund for a new headquarters branch library at Tralee, while £260,000 was made available for the new library in Killarney which opened in 1982. A sum of £24,000 was earlier made available for a library in Cahirciveen and £50,000 was made available for a mobile library. I compliment Kerry County Council on their programme of library development but they have got a fair share of the capital allocation. We will certainly consider sympathetically what the Deputy has said but when there are a number of applications priority must be given to the most urgent.
What have the Tralee, Killarney and the Caherciveen libraries to do with the Dingle library? There is a sense of urgency about getting the Dingle library renovated in view of the significance of 1985 in that part of Kerry.
I said that Kerry County Council have done well, financially, in the library service. Their application is being considered along with a number of others. We will consider this application urgently in the light of what the Deputy said, taking into account the significance of the year.