OLIVIA MITCHELL, A TD for Dublin South has asked the Government what it is doing to save a tree that appears to be in a “distressed state” at Leinster House.

In a written question to the Department of Public Expenditure, Olivia Mitchell queried what is being done for the plane tree which is located on the extreme right of the Kildare Street entrance.

Junior Minister Brian Hayes said that the Office of Public Works has already commissioned an urgent report on the condition of the tree from a consultant arborist.

“Any remedial action required on foot of the report will be undertaken as soon as possible,” he added.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Mitchell – who has an interest in gardening – said she raised the question in the Dáil as she did not know who to go to with her concerns.

“I knew the OPW looks after Leinster House in general,” she explained. “There is not that many trees in the city so it would be a shame to lose one of them.”

Plane trees are susceptible to disease but it is not necessarily fatal. A costing for the consultancy work was not yet available to TheJournal.ie but Mitchell understands that the OPW already employs a gardener to look after the grounds of Leinster House.

Yesterday: Michael Healy-Rae on toilets and graveyards>

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