Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 1

Written Answers. - Architectural Heritage.

Emmet Stagg

Ceist:

514 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands when an application for planning permission for visitor facilities at Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare might be lodged with Kildare County Council. [11675/02]

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

I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 398 of 26 March 2002.

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

515 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the amount of expenditure at Portumna Castle for 2001; the total visitor numbers; and the revenue accrued to date in 2002. [11792/02]

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

516 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if the figure of ?3,948,263 quoted in a previous reply in relation to Portumna Castle is inclusive of the years 1968-2001. [11793/02]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 515 and 516 together.

In 2001, total capital expenditure at Portumna Castle in 2001 amounted to €45,087, current expenditure amounted to €96,500 and the cost of providing a guide service at the site was €53,965. Provisional visitor statistics show that there were 10,729 visitors to Portumna Castle in 2001, but figures are not yet available for the number of people who visited the site through the Dúchas heritage card scheme. Portumna Castle reopened for this year's visitor season on 1 April and revenue accrued to date in 2002 at the site is not yet available. The figure of €3,948,263 stated in my reply to Questions Nos. 203 to 205, inclusive, of 27 March relates to capital expenditure at the castle between 1990 and 2001 and does not include expenditure between 1968 and 1989. In this regard, I refer the Deputy to my response to Questions Nos. 237 to 240, inclusive, of 8 May 2001 in which I advised that as only work of a routine maintenance nature was undertaken between 1968 and 1989 expenditure details for this period are unavailable.