asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware of the appalling condition of the Phoenix Park, Dublin; and if he will institute a major restoration programme of maintenance etc. before this unique amenity is eroded any further.

I do not accept the Deputy's suggestion that the Phoenix Park, Dublin, is in an appalling condition, and I am satisfied that the present standard of maintenance is adequate.

Would the Minister of State accept that he has admitted that there has been a reduction in the work force in the Phoenix Park?

I also said that a reallocation of work has maintained the standard.

Would the Minister accept that the park is experiencing much greater use in the last three years than from the time the work force was reduced?

I am aware of that, and that certain sewerage works are being carried out by Dublin Corporation which have not helped, but I am assured that when these works are finished they will restore the roads to their former state.

Does the Minister accept that if 190 men can now do the work that was being carried out by 150 men in 1980, when the demands of the park were less, there must have been superfluous workers in 1980?

The Deputy's figures are wrong.

The Minister of State is only in office for a short time and I am castigating all Governments in respect of the Phoenix Park. Has the Minister been in the Phoenix Park recently?

I can assure the Deputy that I have been in the Phoenix Park quite recently and, as Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, I am proud of the Phoenix Park.

Would the Minister not accept that the roads, the pathways, the verges and the surface of the Phoenix Park at the moment is like a commonage?

I do not agree at all and I have been there quite recently.

Would the Minister of State accept an invitation to accompany some public representatives on a tour of the park?

Indeed I will.

The Minister and the Deputy might adjourn to the Phoenix Park.

Would the Minister of State accept that it is not likely that we will have any great work force employed in it? Has he not accepted that the Phoenix Park has no superintendent at the moment? Would he accept that it would be an ideal opportunity for him and for the Government to avail, say, perhaps of the vast sums made available for youth employment work to have a major project with a view to restoring the Phoenix Park to something in accordance with the high standards that prevailed ten or 15 years ago?

They might go camping there for the summer instead of Barrets-town Castle.

The implications of the Deputy's question is that the Phoenix Park is in an appalling state. I do not accept that and I have been there quite recently.

With your permission, I would like to raise this matter on the Adjournment.

The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.