Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donovan, and thank him for coming to the House to respond to this matter, which is related to substantial works being done by the Office of Public Works, OPW, at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, Having had the privilege of getting an agricultural scholarship to study horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens, I know the place particularly well. It is one of the many jewels in the crown of the Office of Public Works, which I must salute. Responsibility for the running of this wonderful heritage site moved from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine back to the OPW and that is the proper place for it.

Before I go into the detail of my Commencement Matter, having taken some time yesterday to do a little research on the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, it is worth pointing out the connection between it and Leinster House. In 1790, the Irish Parliament, with the active support of the Speaker of the House, John Foster, of whom we have two major portraits in this building, granted funds to the then Dublin Society, now the Royal Dublin Society, or RDS, to establish botanic gardens. In 1795, the gardens were founded on lands at Glasnevin. A portrait of John Foster, which was commissioned by William Beechey in 1813, is hung below us in this building, although its ownership is another issue. When these gardens were originally established the emphasis was placed on the role of horticulture in promoting scientific research, with a heavy emphasis on the study of agriculture. The focus has now moved to ornamental horticulture and ornamental gardening. It is particularly important to remember the origins of the National Botanic Gardens were in agriculture.

As I said, the Office of Public Works is a wonderful organisation. One of the best jobs in Government is to be the Minister with responsibility for the OPW, among other things. One need only visit the botanic gardens to see major construction work is taking place on the Victoria House, which houses the very famous Amazonian aquatic plants. It was built in 1854. The Cactus House was built in 1890. More recently, the Fern House was built in 1966 to replace an older fern house. We have the great Palm Houses and Curvilinear Houses that are famous throughout the world because they were designed by Richard Turner.

An amazing amount of work is being done on this unique place and it requires a lot of money. From my recent visit, I understand there are three phases to the works and that phase 3 has not been finalised. It is important we secure these unique buildings. I ask the Minister of State for an update on how the work is progressing, the phases involved and the resources available for the works. I acknowledge the work done by the Minister of State, his Department, the OPW and the staff of the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.