asked the Taoiseach the reason the new Gallery for Modern Art in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin 8 which has been prepared and stocked with works of art, remains closed to the public.

The necessary structural adaptations to enable the establishment of a gallery of modern art at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham have to be completed before it can be opened to the public. In the meantime, the generous gift from Mr. Gordon Lambert of works from his collection is being conserved in a portion of the building.

When did the work begin on the new gallery? How much is the work costing, and when will it be completed?

The adaptation works which are proceeding will take another 12 months.

When did they begin?

They only began a short while ago. I can write to inform the Deputy fully, but I can tell her that they will take another 12 months to conclude. The work started early in 1988. There are substantial adaptations being undertaken which will take another 12 months.

An allocation of £500,000 is being made from the national lottery for this purpose and this is another example of our bona fides in this matter. When we have the space, the Gordon Lambert Collection will be on display and the public will be admitted. That is an example of what I meant when I said in response to the earlier question that this is ongoing and covers a much wider field than that envisaged in the original plan. We are now adopting a very wide and flexible approach to all aspects of arts and culture and this is an example of where we are spending money as of now. We have a treasure house in the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham.