Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. McCarthy for that reply.

For the benefit of the committee, there is an entrance that was built at the same time as the house and for the past 17 years it has been purely pedestrian. It is incredibly popular, one of the most popular sites in the country. For the past 17 years, there has been access at the rear that is leased from the owner. The owner offered it for sale off-market to the OPW in 2022. There was a lot of dithering and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform did not approve the purchase. It is 235 acres and it is the natural hinterland of the house. It then went to market in a closed bidding process and the OPW bid in excess of €5 million. From what I understand, it was bought for not too much more than that. Now the owner is offering bits of it for sale and there is a gate shutting access to the people who have used the access for the past 17 years. It is not possible to get bin trucks or other vehicles in and the staff cannot get in.