I propose to give particulars of expenditure by the Office of Public Works this year on the basis of the programme format contained in the Appendix to the Estimate for Vote 10 in the Revised Estimate Volume for 1992. The total amount sought for these programmes is £99,943,000.
A sum of £51,641,000 is sought for Programme 1 — the accommodation programme. Of this £19 million is required for the capital building programme. This covers the cost of erecting new buildings, as well as adapting and refurbishing others to meet State accommodation requirements.
In 1992, approximately £3 million will be spent on the ongoing Garda building programme for the Department of Justice. Last year saw the completion of the new divisional headquarters at Anglesea Street, Cork as well as major Garda projects at Balbriggan, Carlow and Shannon. During 1992 schemes will be completed in Dún Laoghaire, Kells, Tipperary, Charleville and Monasterevin. The modernisation of stations at Togher in Cork and Carrick-on-Suir will also be finished.
The latest phase of the redevelopment of the Garda Training College at Templemore was recently completed. The entire project is the largest one ever undertaken by the Office of Public Works outside of Dublin and the first two phases have been completed within budget. The project was initiated as a response to the Walsh report on Garda training and its overall objective was to create an appropriate setting for the training of a modern and effective police force for the future. In the 30 months since construction work began on site it has been transformed from a military style barracks providing a 26 week long elementary training course, to an up-to-date campus facilitating full third-level education for the Garda Síochána. It would be my hope that this excellent training college would be given recognition in the future as an institution offering a high level of academic study.
Other building work being undertaken for the Department of Justice includes the refurbishment of the Morgan Place wing of the Four Courts in order to provide additional court accommodation. This project commenced in 1991 and will be completed later this year.
A sum of £2.5 million is required to continue the ongoing employment exchange programme. Works on the construction of a new employment exchange at Finglas, Dublin which commenced in 1991, and extensions of the Galway social welfare office and Mullingar employment exchange will be completed this summer. Schemes for new exchanges at Navan Road and Tallaght in Dublin and the extension of the Carlow exchange are expected to commence later this year.
I am pleased to say that work began during 1991 on the refurbishment of the Treasury Building in the Lower Castle Yard, Dublin Castle and it is scheduled for completion later this year. The Treasury Building was built around 1712, making it the oldest surviving purpose built office building in Dublin and, consequently, it has considerable architectural importance. The project also includes the restoration of some external architectural features in the vicinity of the Treasury Building, such as Palace Street entrance to the castle, to improve the general appearance of the area. The cost of the project is £3.5 million and the building will be occupied by the Comptroller and Auditor General and his staff. I am sure the House will be pleased with this decision.
Work is in progress on the provision of a new extension at the Revenue Computer Centre, Johns Road, Inchicore. The work is scheduled to be completed later this year. Works on the restoration of the curvilinear range of glasshouses in the Botanic Gardens, the work of the renowned Dublin ironmaster Richard Turner, will commence this year at an estimated cost of £4.5 million over four years.
A major refurbishment of the 1968 wing of the National Gallery of Ireland, which will take two years to complete at a cost of some £6 million, as well as repairs to the extensive roofs of the National Museum, will commence later this year. Work is also scheduled to start shortly on refurbishment of State owned buildings at 9-10 Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin. This new office development for the Revenue Commissioners will include the provision of a central public inquiry office which will constitute a major improvement of services to the public. The development will have the major added advantage of enabling the Commissioners of Public Works to dispose of rented property in Pearse Street, Dublin.
Progress continues on the implementation of the decentralisation programme, based on the need for a more widespread location of public service facilities and job opportunities. Deputies will be aware of the importance which the Government attach to the decentralisation programme and I am particularly proud of the role being played by the staff of the Commissioners of Public Works in ensuring the success of the entire programme.
Phase 1 of the programme was completed in 1989 and saw the move of about 800 staff to centres at Cavan, Galway, Sligo and Ballina. Phase 2 is well on the way to completion with offices at Athlone, Killarney and Letterkenny having being occupied by over 500 staff. Projects at Ennis and Nenagh have been completed. The Ennis building is occupied and was officially opened yesterday. Staff are now moving into the offices at Nenagh. The remaining project, in Limerick, is scheduled for completion in the spring of 1993. Over 1,000 public servants will occupy these latter three buildings.
Phase 3 of the programme was announced in June of last year. It involves moving sizeable sections from ten Government Departments to eight provincial centres, Cork, Dundalk, Killarney, Longford, Portlaoise, Tullamore, Waterford and Wexford. The staff to be moved will be in the region of 1,500 persons. Developers have been selected for the offices in Longford and Cork and construction work is expected to begin shortly. Preparatory work is in hands in relation to the other centres.
The decentralisation programme is giving the opportunity to substantial numbers of people to return to their native areas on a permanent basis. The very desirable long term objectives of helping to reduce regional imbalances and pressure on the Dublin area are also being achieved. The towns to which public service staff have already been moved are now reaping the economic benefits and a welcome shot-in-the-arm has been provided to the business, commercial and social life of the communities.
As Deputies are aware, decentralisation projects are being designed, built and financed by private developers with the State purchasing the buildings on a deferred payment basis over 20 years. These payments will be met from the rent and rates subhead. Rents, which have remained static for a number of years, have recently shown some upward movement. This factor is reflected in the increase in the allocation from just over £20 million in 1991 to £22 million this year. The decentralisation programme will bring about substantial savings to the Exchequer in the coming years arising from a reduction in the figures for renting prime Dublin office space. It is now interesting to note that public representatives who originally opposed the programme are now its greatest advocates. I am very pleased to have been responsible for handling the entire decentralisation programme since its commencement in 1987.
In the light of developments affecting Departments' accommodation requirements, and in particular, the decentralisation programme, the Commissioners of Public Works have undertaken a detailed assessment of the accommodation allocations of each Department, with a view to achieving the optimum use of space and releasing the maximum amount for disposal. Occupancy surveys of the allocations have resulted, since 1986, in the disposal of some 500,000 square feet of space. An additional 400,000 square feet have been reallocated, under a rationalisation programme, to meet the needs of new Government services and to relieve overcrowding etc. This figure includes some 31,500 square feet for the Houses of the Oireachtas. Disposal of a further 350,000 square feet is targeted. Some notable disposals attributable, either in whole or in part, to decentralisation are Teach Earlsfort; Davitt House, Mespil Road; Nos. 21-33 Merrion Street; Hume House; Lincoln House and Phibsborough Tower in our capital city.
The accommodation programme also includes building maintenance, for which a sum of £9,351,000 is required; purchase of sites and buildings for which £750,000 is sought; energy costs for which £400,000 is required; national lottery funding of £100,000 for conservation work at the National Library and £40,000 for visitors' services at Dublin Castle.
The figure of £750,000 for the purchase of sites and buildings is £450,000 higher than the 1991 Estimate. This is attributable to the acquisition of a site for a new Garda Divisional Headquarters at Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin.
A sum of £7,216,000 is sought for arterial drainage under Programme 2. This will provide for the survey, design, construction and maintenance of arterial drainage and embankment schemes.
The 1992 allocation of £260,000 for survey and design work will allow the ongoing environmental impact assessment and cost benefit analysis of the flood relief schemes for the Mulcair River to be completed as well as the continuation of other studies. This cost is met from subhead L.1. This subhead also provides for hydrometric survey work involving the collection and analysis of data on many rivers throughout the country. This survey work provides essential information on the country's water resources.
The cost of construction work on arterial drainage schemes is met from Subhead L.2. This year's provision is £3 million. By the end of 1991 70 per cent of the Boyle River and 90 per cent of the Monaghan Blackwater River schemes had been completed. It is expected that the latter scheme will be finished towards the end of the current year.
At that stage, although some of the workers engaged on the scheme will be retained for the post-completion maintenance programme and efforts will be made to accommodate others on alternative projects being undertaken by the commissioners, it is regrettable that a number will have to be made redundant. It is no consolation that this is the norm at the end of arterial drainage schemes. But these schemes are, of course, finite projects and their wide geographical distribution does not always facilitate the continued employment of those engaged, for the most part, for the duration of a particular scheme at construction stage.
On completion of these schemes, which have been in progress since 1982 and 1985 respectively, substantial benefit will have been conferred on more than 40,000 acres of land which heretofore had serious problems of flooding or waterlogging. This brings the total area of land benefiting under the national programme, which is carried out under the Arterial Drainage Act of 1945, since its commencement, to 650,000 acres. This represents a vast investment of public funds over the years.
Maintenance of completed arterial drainage schemes will account for £3,956,000 in 1992. An amount of £1,132,000 is required under Programme 3 this year to cover the cost of engineering plant and machinery for arterial drainage schemes.
A sum of £7,201,000 is sought for Programme 4 covering our national parks and Wildlife Service. This figure includes the cost of projects which will be partfunded by the EC Structural Funds for tourism-related projects.
The care and protection of our Natural Heritage is entrusted to the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Office of Public Works. Five national parks have been established and to date 71 national nature reserves, five refuges for fauna and 68 wildfowl sanctuaries have been designated. Suitable sites for nature conservation purposes are constantly monitored. I expect accelerated progress on the acquisition of such lands now that the EC "Habitats Directive" has been agreed.
Both parks and reserves are managed by a dedicated staff of experts and ongoing management successes often go unnoticed by the general public. For example, when the commissioners acquired Glenveagh National Park for the people one of the most immediate threats to the habitats there was the continuing encroachment of rhododendrons. The intense growth of this introduced plant prevents natural regeneration of our native woodlands. I am pleased to say that it will be eradicated from Glenveagh Park within the next five years.
Another example of committed management is the continuing research into the dynamics of our boglands. This has resulted in a joint research project between the Irish and Dutch Governments, a recent highlight of which was the twinning of Clara Bog in Ireland with its counterpart, Bargerveen, in Holland. In addition, the staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Services provide, at a local level, an extremely important information and education service to the public through their contacts with private groups and organisations, advisory services and talks in schools and other educational outlets. In this regard the recent appointment of twelve additional wildlife rangers is welcomed.
However, the committed work by the Office of Public Works staff is being overshadowed by the current controversy about the provision of visitors centres at parks and reserves. Before I outline the progress on these projects to the House I think I should briefly set out the philosophy guiding these developments.
The Office of Public Works are essentially a conservation organisation. Areas of importance to our heritage are acquired and their subsequent management, including control of visitor access, is determined by the overall objective of conservation. Visitor centres serve a dual role of providing for interpretation and public appreciation of the heritage while, at the same time, serving to control visitors so that the natural or cultural resources being protected are not damaged.
This role of interpretation, in fostering an appreciation of the nation's heritage is crucial. Although provocative and inspirational, interpretation is not merely entertainment. It helps parks and other protected areas to contribute to people's understanding of nature and culture.
Interpretation is an integral component of the Office of Public Works' management policies for national parks, monuments and nature reserves. The commissioners use a variety of different approaches to convey the significance of a park or monument to the public. An interpretative programme for a park would include: (1) the recruitment of rangers and guides to provide tours, walks and talks for visitors; (2) the publication of a series of books, leaflets and pamphlets; (3) the provision of visitor centres containing display, exhibits and audiovisual programmes; and (4) the construction of information boards, panels, nature and historical trails.
Interpretation is inextricably linked to a sense of place, a fact which is accepted worldwide. Interpretation is therefore specific to a particular site, be it a national monument, national park or wildlife site.
On-site visitor centres are essential elements in the management of public access to the heritage landscape. This is also recognised worldwide. The provision of visitor centres at Ireland's major heritage sites is all the more important given Government policy which aims to significantly increase the number of visitors to this country. In recognition of this, given the commissioners' track record in the management of public access to our heritage sites, it is not inconsistent with their conservation ethos to avail of EC Structural Funds through the tourism operational programme. There is no alternative funding mechanism to provide for such access and conservation needs.
It is within this overall framework that visitor centres are provided. The value of visitor centres in national parks and reserves, therefore, is that such centres, while managing public access, provide the opportunity to develop an interpretative programme to encourage public appreciation of the various areas and all they contain and thus secures their preservation and the protection of the environment generally.
Not all the current proposals for visitor facilities at our national parks and reserves are controversial. I was pleased to open new facilities at Killarney National Park earlier this year. I recently officiated at the opening of a new centre at the National Historic, Literary and Nature Park at Coole/Garryland Reserve, near Gort, County Galway. Last week I had the pleasure of opening an extension to the Visitor Centre at Connemara National Park. Later in the year I hope to open two smaller centres at Dromore Nature Reserve, County Clare, and at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve.
The provision of a visitor centre for the Wicklow Mountains National Park has been the subject of controversy. People have conveniently disassociated this aspect of the park from all the other achievements in Wicklow. The fact that we now have approximately 15,000 hectares of land set aside for conservation, that in these difficult financial times five staff have been recruited, that major commercial conifer plantations in the core area have been resisted and that over 5,000 school children last year were assisted by park rangers in deepening their understanding of conservation, have been conveniently overlooked. The provision of the centre should be seen in balance with these achievements. Apart from the Office of Public Works' recognised expertise in this matter both independent consultants and the planning authority have validated the choice which has been made. We have now signed the contract for the centre and work will commence shortly.
The Burren centre has aroused organised opposition. Again in criticising the use of Structural Funds for this project opponents have overlooked the fact that in tandem with this funding the Government made allocations available to progress the land acquisition programme for the Burren National Park and the recruitment of staff for it. I am aware of the strength of support for the project among the local community and their grievance that their view has not been given equal attention in the national media. The project was the subject of an independent Environmental Impact Statement and the public were invited to comment on it. The comments of the public are being assessed in detail with a view to responding in full to any criticisms raised and to satisfying the planning authority that the project will not harm the environment in any way. The decision on the development must not be based on the incomplete story publicised in the media but on the facts of the proposal which will be appraised by the planning authority in a balanced manner.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service are responsible for identifying areas of scientific interest. An area of scientific interest is an area of special interest for its fauna and/or flora, either as individual species or as communities, or for its geology or topography. Selection of an area is based only on scientific criteria which relate to the fauna, flora and general ecosystem. The National Parks and Wildlife Service intend to update their knowledge of these areas over the next 18 months and to compile a comprehensive computerised inventory, including maps, for them. The interdepartmental committee set up in 1990 to consider the whole question of ASI's completed their report in mid-1991. A Memorandum for Government has now been prepared. It has been circulated to the relevant Government Departments and will be submitted shortly to Government for approval.
The research role of the service is vital in the formulation of conservation policy and in assessing factors and trends affecting the natural environment. Existing programmes will continue to be serviced in so far as possible. These include surveys on our Greenland White-fronted Goose, badger and bat populations, sea birds, falcons, dune systems, blanket bogs and protected flora. The blanket bog survey is due for completion this year and we will then establish the amount of blanket bog which is appropriate for conservation.
In March 1992, Ireland, through the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Office of Public Works, hosted an International Workshop to discuss the conservation of the Greenland White-fronted Goose. Ireland is the winter home for half of the world's population and these geese are the third rarest in the world. The aim of the workshop was to draw up an international plan for the conservation of this goose. Representatives from the Governments of the Range State Countries for the goose, which are, in addition to Ireland, the United Kingdom, Iceland and Greenland, represented through Denmark, attended the workshop, as did about 50 other experts and interested organisations from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Denmark, France and Belgium. Conservation, farming and hunting interests in Ireland also attended. The European Commission was also represented.
The workshop was very productive and culminated in a formal declaration by all the parties which recommended the implementation of long term co-operative measures, including an international plan for the conservation of the Greenland White-fronted Goose. Arrangements are now being made to place this recommendation on a formal footing by the conclusion of an agreement between the Range States. Ireland is acting as the secretariat in order to bring about this formal agreement. The plan which was developed at the workshop is the first of its kind to be developed in Europe for a bird population and the agreement now being prepared is also a first.
The conservation of wildlife is obviously a matter for international concern. Various problems and challenges are common to a number of states, and so international co-operation is essential. Thus our officials have regular working contacts with many international governmental and other organisations. They also facilitate the administration and implementation of laws arising from the ratification by the state of international conventions dealing with various aspects of wildlife conservation.
The provision for the maintenance, management and development of Inland Waterways under Programme 5 is £6,002,000.