Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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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.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to say a few words about the National Botanic Gardens. More often than not when I am in the Seanad to speak about the role of the OPW, it concerns another element of its work with which I deal; namely, coastal erosion and flooding. This debate gives me a chance to speak on a lighter note about another element of the OPW. The Senator is right when he suggests it is one of the best jobs in government. I do not have to go outside this Chamber when looking for a testament to the role of the OPW, which did a magnificent job in restoring it.

The Senator gave a good overview of the history of the National Botanic Gardens as an historic institution dating back to 1795. He probably knows it better than some of the people working in the OPW. It serves a scientific role as well as being the historic setting of some of the most significant cast-iron and wrought-iron glasshouses in the country and in the world. In 1992, the OPW, in consultation with the gardens, produced a management plan which considered all the structures and facilities at the National Botanic Gardens and provided a blueprint for the phased restoration and refurbishment of the institution. Over the past 27 years, the OPW has invested considerable attention and funding towards restoring and refurbishing buildings at the National Botanic Gardens. This has included two major glasshouses, including Richard Turner's internationally important glasshouse, the Curvilinear Range, which was fully restored in 1995. I recall there was some criticism of this project from people who walked these corridors at particular stages. They referred to it at the time as a waste of money. I am proud to say that the quality and attention devoted to this building earned the OPW a Europa Nostra award. Since that time, the 1992 management plan has continued to deliver on many significant projects at the gardens. These have included new buildings for the National Herbarium and its research library in 1997, a new propagation glasshouse range in 1998, the visitor centre in 2001 and the Glasnevin Cemetery linking gate in 2013. The development of a series of lecture rooms for the Teagasc horticultural college in 1999 and 2014 has continued the role relating to horticulture outlined by the Senator. The restoration and refurbishment of buildings at the gardens included a faithful restoration of the Great Palm House in 2004, the Teak House in 2009 and last year, an historic gardener's cottage.

All these projects were part of the 1992 management plan and very few works remain outstanding, which I am sure the Senator will be glad to hear. Chief among these is the Aquatic House complex, about which Senator Boyhan enquired. The complex comprises a Succulent House, a Fern House and the Aquatic House. This last building was designed and constructed in 1854 specifically for growing the giant Amazon water lily, which was the botanical sensation of its day. The reopening of a fully restored and refurbished Aquatic House complex as a new visitor attraction, which is a hugely important part of what the OPW does, will provide a restoration fit for the 21st century to enhance research and display at the National Botanic Gardens. A really important part of what we are doing is for the local community in that part of Glasnevin as well, bringing tourists to that part of the north side of the city.

As well as strengthening the ability of the National Botanic Gardens to carry out plant research and propagation, a priority for this range will be its long-term energy efficiency and sustainable construction. I am happy to report that a design brief is well advanced. As with previous projects, the OPW is taking a phased approach to secure these historic structures, which will ensure their appropriate and sustainable development into the future. Phase 1, which began in July 2020, is now complete and involved the removal of all dangerous structures. In phase 2, the OPW plans to faithfully restore the Cactus House and the Water Lily House and provide a new redeveloped Fern House. The OPW's project oversight group approved the business case for phase 2 in April 2021 . In the next few months, we intend to appoint a design team and to seek planning approval for the works. We hope to have the detailed design signed off and will then proceed to seeking tenders in the last quarter of 2022. Construction will take approximately 18 months. The quantitative estimates at present are of the order of €13.8 million. The OPW will submit a planning application in the fourth quarter of 2022 and go to tender in 2023. It is estimated that site works will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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That is fantastic news. I will go from here to spread the Minister of State's good news to all the horticultural magazines and publications in the country. It is a wonderful organisation and something of which we can be extremely proud. I am delighted to see that this phased programme is continuing and that money is in place. Clearly, tenders and planning issues must be addressed. I also want to flag the fact that this is a free facility. There is no charge to go into the National Botanic Gardens. The politician I meet most there is Bertie Ahern. To be fair, I acknowledge that it was his constituency. As the Minister of State rightly noted, it feeds into the community. If you are doing nothing on a Sunday afternoon, you are guaranteed to meet Bertie Ahern there. He is hugely proud of it as a former Deputy for the locality.

I thank the Minister of State. This is exceptional. Let us be mindful of how we can promote these gardens. I visit botanic gardens all over the world. It is one of my great interests. The gardens in Kew, Edinburgh and Dublin are three of the best botanic gardens in the world and we should be proud of them. There is a huge garden and horticultural industry in this country. International tourists come to this country to look at these gardens. It is a gem, one of the many gems in the OPW portfolio. I wish the Minister of State well and thank him for his very comprehensive and positive answer. This is really good news and I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Senator will be glad to know that yesterday the OPW launched a guide to filming at many of its historic properties, including the National Botanic Gardens, Emo Court and Sceilg Mhichíl. The OPW's investment programme for our heritage portfolio, along with its partners in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, requires a lot of money but we are investing heavily in it. I pay tribute to the OPW staff who operate that facility, the architects, the design team and everybody else behind the scenes of the management plan. During the summer, the Senator will have seen that the National Botanic Gardens played a very important part in the series of programmes on Ireland's historic gardens. We hope that series runs into the future because the Senator is right that it is about more than providing research opportunities. It is also presents a very important opportunity for tourism promotion in that part of Dublin. The OPW is very proud of its investment in heritage in that part of Dublin and looks forward to making sure this project is finished in the very near future.