Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the issue of how we are going to use our Goverment assets appropriately when it comes to the OPW, in particular. I was in Kinsale at the weekend. The town is a jewel with so much going for it. The number of OPW properties and assets there is enormous. We have James Fort, Desmond Castle and the Battle of Kinsale site, as well as other OPW properties throughout the town. We need to put a coordinated plan together to make sure all of these properties and sites are open to the public. Some are and some are not. As we build our tourism identity, these are important heritage sites which have so much heritage attached to them. James Fort, Desmond Castle and the Battle of Kinsale site are really significant monuments that need to be opened up as much as they can be.

There is a considerable amount of work involved in getting some of these sites open but if we had a coordinated plan to work with the local authority, the chamber of commerce and the local community then everyone would benefit. I am calling for a debate with the Minister responsible for the OPW about how we can ensure that the majority, if not all, of these OPW sites can be opened to the public.