Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I have previously raised the role of the OPW with the Minister. It must recognise that we are all in this together and that these facilities must be made available. One of my colleagues recently went to visit Kilmainham with a bus load of people and was told — owing to the cutbacks I presume — that they would need to wait an hour and a half for a tour with the result that 40 people got back on a bus. The entrance fee was lost and whatever else they were selling was lost, and a bad impression was gained. There is no sense in investing in these facilities and then not letting people in to see them and making the most of every opportunity to get money out of them.

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