Written answers
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Heritage Council
Anne Ferris (Wicklow, Labour)
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646. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on the recent announcement that the Alfred Beit Foundation is to auction valuable artwork; if this artwork is part of the works left by the Beits, in trust for the cultural benefit of the Irish State; if other measures have been explored by her Department to fund necessary works at Russborough House in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18653/15]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The sale of the artwork referred to in the Question is a matter for the Beit Foundation, which owns and operates Russborough House, and my Department has no role in approving such a sale. The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, has provided just over €2.1 million since 2002 for works to Russborough House. In 2005, the Heritage Council published the Conservation Plan for Russborough House as a first step in providing a framework and vision for the estate into the future. My Department, through the Local Authority Conservation Grants Scheme, also provided €8,000 to fund conservation works at Russborough House in 2010.
As the Deputy can appreciate, the scope for funding for the conservation of the built heritage is currently constrained by the significant reduction in the public finances. Nonetheless, I keep the competing priorities regarding the preservation and enhancement of the national heritage under on-going review, having regard to the resources available to my Department.
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