Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of historical sites in County Clare maintained by the Office of Public Works; the annual number of visitors to each site over the past five years; the investment in each of these sites in the past five years and the corresponding figure spent on promotion of these sites; the average spend differential between present day figures and the period when Dúchas had responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22629/05]

Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)
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There are 36 national monument sites in the care of the Office of Public Works in County Clare. Responsibility for the management of these sites transferred to the Office of Public Works on 1 January 2004.

The primary source of funding for conservation projects at national monument sites is the National Development Plan 2000-2006. The programme of works and funding under the NDP was agreed in 2000 and work has continued in the intervening period on implementing this. The following table outlines expenditure under the NDP on conservation work at sites in County Clare from 2000 to 2004.

In addition to the NDP allocations for projects at Quin Abbey and Scattery Island, further sums of €124,673 and €77,236 respectively were expended at these sites in 2004. Routine maintenance of the sites is carried out by the staff from the national monuments depot in Athenry, but it is not possible to give a breakdown for individual sites.

There are only two heritage sites in County Clare with a guide service — Scattery Island and Ennis Friary. Visitor figures for the period 2000-2004 are as follows:

While there is no guide service at Poulnabrone Dolmen, it is estimated that the site attracts well in excess of 100,000 visitors per annum, making it the most visited of the heritage sites in County Clare in the care of the Office of Public Works.

Heritage sites managed by the Office of Public Works are not promoted individually. Such sites are promoted collectively nationally and regionally in conjunction with the regional tourism authorities and Shannon Development. National and regional versions of brochures are distributed at staffed OPW-managed heritage sites and through the tourist information offices network operated by the regional tourist authorities. The sites are, in addition, promoted through a website, www.heritageireland.ie. It is not possible, therefore, to separately quantify the expenditure on the marketing of individual heritage sites in County Clare.