Dinny McGinley
Ceist:409 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands when she will lift the restrictions on visiting St. Colmcille's church and graveyard heritage site at Ray, Falcarragh, County Donegal. [27605/01]
Written Answers. - Architectural Heritage.
Dinny McGinley
Ceist:410 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if her attention has been drawn to the fact that St. Colmcille's graveyard heritage site at Ray, Falcarragh, is in need of maintenance and the provision of public parking facilities; and if she plans to provide these. [27606/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 409 and 410 together.
The position is that access to St Colmcille's Church was restricted during the recent foot and mouth crisis, as it was at all heritage sites. Regrettably due to an oversight on the part of my Department, at the time the all-clear was given to reopen heritage sites the restrictions put in place at this site were not lifted. I am assured the site is now once again fully accessible to the public.
In relation to the maintenance of the site, my Department is responsible only for St. Colmcille's Church and not the graveyard. In this context the church is included in my Department's routine maintenance programme for County Donegal. In 2001 work, including weed control and grass cutting, was carried out at the site. There are no plans to provide car parking facilities.