Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the action being taken to address the ongoing issue regarding local access to Castletown House; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5040/25]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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Castletown House is an 18th-century, neo-Palladian country house built within an extensive estate. In 1994, the Office of Public Works acquired this nationally important house together with 13 acres of surrounding It has long been the policy of the OPW to seek to reunite the historic Castletown estate and over the last 25 years, the OPW has reassembled 227 acres of the historic demesne.

From 2007 to 2023, the OPW had access through entrance and carpark from the M4 slipway by way of a licence agreement with the previous landowner. It has not been possible to agree terms for continued access with the current landowner.

In September 2023, the current owner of these lands withdrew permission for the OPW, its servants and its agents to cross their private lands to access Castletown House. The only vehicular access in State ownership to Castletown House is via the Celbridge Gate.

As the Deputy will be aware, this is a complex issue. There has been a detailed process of engagement between the OPW and all of the stakeholders at Castletown over the last eighteen months, including various community groups, the local authority and the private landowner. As the newly appointed Minister for the OPW I am working with my officials to be fully briefed on this issue and I look forward to working constructively with elected members from Kildare towards a positive solution which will benefit the community, the visitors to Castletown, the staff of Castletown but most importantly will ensure that this iconic national heritage site is correctly conserved and protected for the enjoyment of generations to come.