Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 13 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 5

Written Answers. - National Monuments.

John McGuinness

Ceist:

418 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the reason the door in Reginalds Tower, Waterford, was removed and has not been returned; if there is a difficulty with the supplier regarding this matter; the person who prepared the specifications for the door; the reason the rogue stone referred to by the Minister was missed; the cost of the installation; if the invoice was paid; the reason the door has not been reinstalled; its location; and if she is satisfied with her Department's handling of this matter. [27914/01]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

As the Deputy is aware from my previous reply on 5 July last, the door was removed because it did not open fully. There is no difficulty with the supplier regarding this matter. My officials are responsible for the specification for the door. The door, fittings and installation cost £2,680.88, which has been paid. A replacement centre panel for the door is being fabricated at an additional cost of approximately £800, which will include fitting. The original centre panel is in storage in the Kilkenny National Monuments Depot and may be re-used at another location.

The ‘rogue stone' is exactly that, a rogue. Building conservation cannot be an exact science and often unexpected problems arise when dealing with old structures. I refer the Deputy to the level of detail I have already provided in explaining this matter. I am satisfied all reasonable care was taken in the design of this door. This is a relatively isolated occurrence in the context of my Department's overall monuments conservation funding programme which I have significantly added to under the national development plan and which is carried out to international standards.

Given the complexity of the conservation works at this site, the extensive programme throughout the country and the fine results which are helping to attract over three million visitors per annum, I believe that the minor nature of this incident does not warrant further investigation.