Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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251. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount per year invested in Castletown House since the OPW took ownership to date in 2023; and if he will provide a schedule of works, restorations, installations and projects carried out over that timeframe. [31222/23]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Castletown House is an eighteenth-century neo-Palladian country house built within an extensive estate. Numbers using the estate have increased greatly since the OPW took over the estate and now stand at over one million visitors to the estate each year.

In 1994, the Office of Public Works took responsibility for Castletown House and estate. Initially, this was only 13 acres of land with the house. It has long been the policy of the OPW to seek to reunite the historic Castletown estate. In 1997, one hundred acres south of the house was acquired. The farmyard adjacent to the house was acquired in 2001. In 2006, lands associated with the Batty Lodge were acquired with former Coillte lands to the north and east of the House acquired in 2007. Since 2008, the OPW has reassembled 227 acres of the original 580 acres of land which formed the historic demesne.

Much of the original demesne lands acquired over the years were in poor condition. The OPW has worked to open up the lands and to restore many of the landscape features, particularly the historic network of pathways across the estate and the vista towards the Conolly Folly. Work is ongoing on the opening up to the public of the Crodaun Woods.

The restoration of the historic pathways began in 2007. There has also been a concerted effort to manage the Estate for biodiversity. The landscape by the Office of Public works are an exemplar site for the All Ireland Pollinator Plan with some grasslands of Annex 1 quality under the EU Habitats Directive. Extensive pollinator surveys have been conducted which have identified a large number of bumblebee, butterfly, hoverfly, and solitary bee species. Other studies have recorded a high diversity of tree, bird, and other invertebrate species. The landscape is of high value to grassland plants regionally due to the increasingly urban nature of the surrounding landscape.

In 2007, the Office of Public Works worked with the owner of the adjacent lands to develop an entrance and carpark from the M4 slipway. This removed traffic from the environs of the house.

While Castletown House was taken over by the State in 1994, it has only been managed by the Office of Public Works since 2006. Therefore, it is not possible to provide accurate figures in full of all State investment between 1994 and 2006.

The total expenditure by the Office of Public Works, including current and capital expenditure, between 1994 and 2006 was €4,170, 935.75. However, this does not cover expenditure from Dúchas or the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.

Please find attached the details of the costs of property acquisitions and the annual expenditure on Castletown House from 2006 to 2023 (year to date).

Expenditure on projects at Castletown

Annual expenditure on Castletown to 2023

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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252. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 473 of 8 September 2022 and No. 50 of 12 October 2022, if he will consider the proposal (details supplied) in consultation with the director; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31275/23]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The National Botanic Gardens is primarily a scientific collection of living plants. These form a significant living collection of rarities, some of which are the only example of their kind in cultivation. Unlike a public park, the plant collection requires greater oversight, in line with international botanic garden standards, and must be adequately staffed during opening hours.

Within the living collections at the National Botanic Gardens, there are over 300 endangered species from around the world, and six species already extinct in the wild. These are a vital resource. The opening hours reflect best practise in protecting and managing such an important collection. The horticultural work programme is largely team-based with a specific work-pattern and work processes. This allows the maintenance of the collection.

Staff oversight is required to ensure that the botanical plant collection is not damaged. This is why there are restrictions on activities such as ball games and dogs are not permitted in the Gardens. As the working day begins at 8:00, opening to a later hour would give rise to the imposition of a twelve hour shift pattern on staff, which would result in significant changes in operations and work practices at the Gardens.

In terms of the availability of open spaces in Glasnevin, there are several adjacent municipal parks that do not require the same level of oversight, with late opening hours. This ensures a good provision of public parks to the local community.