Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I warmly welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy de Valera, to the House. No one is in a better position to discuss Muckross House than the Minister of State given her knowledge of that lovely place. I remember her visits to the House in her former capacity as Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands when she did a wonderful job assisting us, particularly on the occasion of the opening of our garden restaurant. Will she do me a favour and thank the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, for his visit to Killarney in July, in particular for signing the new partnership agreement with the trustees of Muckross House and for the launch of the management plan for Killarney National Park? I also thank the Minister, Deputy Roche, for signing the new partnership agreement with the trustees of Muckross House and launching the new management plan for Killarney National Park.

I am pleased that it is intended to retain and preserve the integrity and character of Killarney House, both internally and externally, and to provide for visitor access to certain parts of it as appropriate, in particular the three main furnished reception rooms. To this end, most of the contents of the house have been acquired by the State, including some important furniture and art that dates back to the Earls of Kenmare. I thank the Minister for meeting Killarney Town Council and giving assurances to it, the people of Killarney and the wider public on Killarney House in the course of his visit in July.

I would like to hear an update on the situation today. I had concerns about the house given the unfortunate state into which it had fallen and the cost of the necessary restoration works, particularly when it has been in State ownership for so many years and because it is vital to put a halt to the decay. I look forward to hearing how the house will be preserved and the timeframe involved.

The Minister knows how important the house and grounds are to Killarney, being such a prominent feature located in the town itself. It has the potential to make a magnificent contribution to the tourism infrastructure of Killarney. The previous management plan, that was sadly not implemented, contained wonderful proposals for the gardens that were specified in detailed accompanying maps. I hope and trust the gardens and grounds will not be neglected either and I look forward to hearing about this aspect. It is a pity that the expertise of the great botanist, Mr. Cormac Foley, was not availed of over the years. He is now with the Office of Public Works but I hope his expertise has not been lost because those were wonderful plans. I have not seen all of the management plan launched by the Minister in July but I would like to know if those plans have been carried forward.