Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for the further development of Killarney House; if she will visit the house to see progress to date and consider further potential; if she is committed to the completion of the project; if she will provide the capital and current finance required for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12135/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Since the 3 of April of this year, the Gardens of the Killarney House and Gardens have been open to the public at weekends. The final phase of the landscaping and planting, which includes, for example, the bulbs of smaller plants, in the Gardens will commence next month. It is not possible, for healthy and safety reasons, to facilitate seven day access to the Gardens until this work is completed. The Office of Public Works (OPW) are acting as project managers for my Department, and expect the necessary works to be completed later in the summer. It is intended that the Gardens will be open for the height of the summer tourist season in Killarney. The House itself is being developed as the main visitor and interpretative centre for Killarney National Park, highlighting the beauty and interpreting the richness and significance of the Park’s landscapes, habitats, flora and fauna as well as telling the story of man’s interaction with the Park over the centuries. It is also intended that some of the formal rooms will be restored to their formal glory.

To date, over €6.1 million has been spent on the capital works necessary to restore and refurbish the House and Gardens. Of this figure, my Department has contributed €1.9 million and Fáilte Ireland has contributed €4.2 million. My Department expects that the total sum expended on this project shall be in the region of €8 million.

The final phase of works to the House, also overseen by the OPW, is now substantially complete. Work on the restoration of some of the best examples of the furniture found in Killarney House will shortly commence, and once complete, they will be placed in the restored formal rooms in the House. Work on the interpretation element, which involves exhibits in 17 rooms within the restored House, is also on-going. I expect that the various elements of works will be completed in the coming months and it is intended that these amenities will be open to the public towards the end of the year or start of 2017.

With regard to current expenditure, as works on the Gardens are nearing completion, my Department is currently in the process of recruiting 3 dedicated horticultural staff for the Gardens, to complement the existing resources within Killarney National Park. Once the interpretation/exhibition phase has been moved forward sufficiently, the remaining staffing requirements of the project will be addressed.

Staffing requirements at this location, as with all other areas of my Department, remain the subject of on-going consideration in light of the overall business needs and within the pay framework approved for 2016. In this regard, the nature of the posts required (Education officers, guides, support staff etc.), as well as the numbers involved and the budgetary implications, will be determined in due course.