Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

Obviously, heritage tourism is important, although it may vary a little in different parts of the country. I attended a south Tipperary tourism seminar with the industry at which it was stated that 50% of tourists to Ireland come to visit heritage areas. Most of the heritage in south Tipperary is under the auspices of OPW, Swiss Cottage, Cahir Castle, Cashel and so on. While the percentage might vary a little from place to place, wearing my OPW hat, I am conscious of the need to continue to invest in those facilities and, equally important, to make them accessible as far as practicable with financial constraints and in the sense of understanding heritage.

I do not agree entirely with the Deputy that our cultural institutions have been starved of money for decades. While this was true up to the late 1980s, there has been huge investment in this area, including in the National Gallery, Collins Barracks and the Museum of Modern Art. While a great deal has been done, more needs to be done, for example, in the National Library. If one tours, as I did with the OPW, the innards of the National Library, one is in what is in many respects a Victorian building with various hazards. There is no doubt that when funds become available the priority will be to invest in such an institution.

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