Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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439.To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if, in respect of the Gate Lodge at the main entrance to St. Enda's Park and the Pearse museum, which was originally constructed as a residential property and inhabited until the year 2000, he agrees that this once-residential property, in the ownership of the State, should be returned to the use for which it was constructed, that is to have a person or persons living in it; if he will instruct his Department to action this; and if not, the reason thereof.[35567/24]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Gate Lodge at St. Enda's park dates from 1830s and was occupied until 2000. At that time, the Office of Public Works considered the feasibility of updating the lodge to modern building standards for residential accommodation or to use it as office accommodation for landscape staff at St. Enda's.

Both options would have required significant alterations to the existing structure that were considered undesirable. The Gate Lodge is very constrained at around 50 m²with any potential usage requiring extensions to this historic building.

It was considered that such an intervention would be detrimental to the architectural integrity of the site and modern interventions to encompass elements such as bathroom and kitchen would have a negative impact on the historic, granite gate entrance. It was decided to renovate the roof to keep the building safe but not to undertake any further works. It is currently used for storage.