I shall put as quickly as possible the points which must be made. I was speaking about Garda headquarters at Galway and Monaghan and district headquarters at Mayfield and Gurranabraher in Cork and at Belmullet, Caherciveen and Nenagh. Building will also begin on new stations at Arklow and at Blackrock, Cork. The Dublin Metropolitan area is not, of course, being neglected. Work is progressing on the fitting out of premises at Harcourt Square which will serve as their new headquarters. The first phase of the development should be ready for occupation shortly.
There is also an extensive programme of work on hands for the Department of Foreign Affairs, the major item of which is the provision of the facilities required at Dublin Castle and at Iveagh House in connection with Ireland's term of Presidency of the EEC in 1984. The facilities and services provided during previous presidencies attracted many favourable comments and I am sure that the works proposed now will achieve equally good results.
This subhead also covers works within the commissioners' own sphere of responsibility at national parks and on the Shannon Navigation.
Earlier this week the commissioners' role in relation to national parks was highlighted by the Golden Jubilee celebrations for the Bourn Vincent Memorial Park in Killarney. While it is right that the success of this park be emphasised one must not lose sight of the fact that this is only one of four national parks that the commissioners have in their care and are developing; the others are in the Burren, Connemara and Glenveagh, County Donegal.
The importance of preserving areas of great natural beauty for the enjoyment and education of the public is acknowledged internationally and the commissioners by the developments they are undertaking in this field are ensuring that such areas are not lost to the people of Ireland. In 1983 the commissioners will expend in excess of £3 million in maintaining the existing parks and will continue to extend and develop them according as resources allow.
The commissioners are continuing with their ongoing programme for the development of the Shannon Navigation and in 1983 an amount of £100,000 will be spent on major new works at Drumsna, County Leitrim and Williamstown, County Clare. In addition to this the commissioners will also spend £685,000 on maintaining existing facilities on the navigation, the cost of which will be met from subhead F.1.
While the level of boating holidays taken on the Shannon in 1982 showed a decrease from the level of the previous year, it is hoped that the works the commissioners undertake in providing new and improved navigational facilities and maintaining the high standard of existing ones will induce more people, both from at home and abroad, to sample the delights of both the water and land based holidays that are available in the Shannon region.
Indeed, due in part to their success in operating the Shannon Navigation it is proposed to expand the commissioners' role in relation to our inland waterways by transferring to them, from CIE, responsibility for the Grand and Royal Canals. Officials from my office, in conjunction with officials from the Department of Transport and CIE, are drafting the necessary legislation which will give effect to this transfer and I assure the House that the Minister for Transport and I will be pressing for the earliest possible introduction of this legislation.
Subheads F.1 to F.4 cover the maintenance, furnishing, leasing, heating and lighting of Government offices and various other buildings used for State purposes. The cost of this with the cost of maintenance of certain State-owned harbours, the River Shannon Navigation and the various national parks is met from subheads F.1, F.2, F.3 and F.4 for which I am seeking an amount of £48,474,000.
In regard to subhead F.1 I am sure I do not have to stress to the House the importance of maintaining buildings and property generally. Large amounts of public funds have been invested in these assets and it is absolutely essential that they should not be allowed to deteriorate. The commissioners are very conscious of their responsibility in this area and this is reflected in the amount of over £20 million which is needed for the maintenance subhead.
I am seeking a provision of £2,915,000 for subhead F.2 to meet the cost of supplying and maintaining the furniture and furnishings required in State premises throughout the country and in Irish Embassies abroad.
This is a significant increase on last year's expenditure which was kept at an artifically low level by postponing all but the most urgently needed supplies. It is necessary this year to deal with the backlog. Stringent criteria will continue to be applied to the replacement of worn-out furniture.