Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the one hand it is good, and on the other hand it is a pity to see such an increase in the budget for flood risk. I appreciate what is being done and wish the Minister of State well. I hope everything that he and the officials do yields results. The people we represent do not have any more hope. They are at the end of their tether.

Will the Minister of State explain the increase in the budget for household staff costs in Áras an Uachtaráin? Did we get a lorry load of new positions that we do not know about? It has increased by 7%, which is quite significant. This time last year when we spoke to the Minister of State’s predecessor it was revealed that there was an extra few bob in the heritage budget that had not been spent last year and because there were very few people in the room we had a general discussion about possibly investing in the visitor centre at the Hill of Tara. Subsequent conversations and correspondence revealed that would be pushed forward. It is not mentioned anywhere in this year’s budget. No further discussion has been held about it. We have one of the most precious sites in the country in Meath and there is not even a toilet there for people who visit it. There is not a visitor centre there to open five days a week, let alone seven days a week. It is an absolute shame that there has been near on zero investment in one of the most beautiful sites in the country. What are the plans in that regard for this year? Where was the extra €25,000 spent last year that was ringfenced at the end of the year for Tara?