Ms Rosemary Collier:

The Deputy asked about funding. We already discussed the provisions in the Bill that expenditure is to come from a Vote of the Oireachtas. Stakeholders in the sector and we in the OPW will try to use funding to ensure that we address the complexities of the rich tapestry we have across the State. The Heritage Council referred to the attention to tourism and the commercial side. That would never traditionally have been the motivation of the OPW, which would have been about conservation and preservation. We are very conscious that sites like Brú na Bóinne, Newgrange, the Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny Castle play a very important role not only in local place making but also for the local economy and local tourism.

We need to use the available funding through strategic partnerships with partners like Fáilte Ireland on shared objectives where one objective is not taking priority over another. We need to meet the very clear conservation and preservation requirements while also delivering on the tourism and economic agendas. It is really important that stakeholders in the sector find a way to create those partnerships. We feel that we have done that very successfully with the tripartite strategic partnership between us, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Fáilte Ireland. There is a multitude of approaches. The rural regeneration schemes are also important.

Many of the sites in the care of the OPW fundamentally define our local towns and local places. They are very important for people's sense of place and sense of well-being. During the pandemic the engagement of local people with their national heritage was extraordinary. We need to marry the objective of supporting the economic agenda in vibrant rural communities with the conservation and preservation agenda. We are seeing some very good work being done at places like Nenagh Castle and Trim Castle. We will use the armoury of different funding opportunities, but it is fundamentally about the quality of the partnership to achieve those kinds of shared objectives. The plan certainly gives the kind of robust legislative framework for what is required throughout the estate. The stakeholders in the sector need to make the right partnerships to get the right outcomes for those shared objectives.