asked the Minister for Finance if he will arrange to extend the existing preservation order on Rathfarnham Castle; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
124.
Written Answers. - Rathfarnham Castle Dublin.
123.
asked the Minister for Finance the up-to-date position in regard to the purchase, preservation and future of Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together. The temporary preservation order made on 24 December 1985 remained in force for six months and has now expired. As the circumstances of danger to a national monument which must exist before a preservation order can be made are deemed not to exist now, it is not possible to make a fresh preservation order. Instead, Rathfarnham Castle has been afforded the protection of listing under section 8 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1954, following the publication of a list of monuments in the Iris Oifigiúil of 20 June 1986.
As I explained in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 95 of 17 June 1986 Dublin County Council passed a resolution on 13 January 1986 instructing the county manager to negotiate for the acquisition of the property. Negotiations with a view to public ownership have been pursued since that time.