Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I raised this matter relatively recently but it was the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, who responded to the question and I wanted to discuss it with the Minister again. I have no problem with relocating the Abbey Theatre to the GPO. It is probably a very good location but why is it moving from Abbey Street? We are losing the eponymous value of having the Abbey Theatre in Abbey Street. It is an internationally renowned name. Regardless of where one goes in the world, those in theatre know about the Abbey Theatre. Will moving it from Abbey Street undermine its value? What was the original thinking in moving it? Was it because of the disruption the building works would cause? We have other theatres which could fill the gap during the construction stage. What was behind the thinking that the Abbey Theatre had to move from its current location?

One of the frustrating aspects of this issue is that it has been going on for years. Is the move to the GPO just another red herring to postpone a decision? The Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, said the money would not be wasted and that all the research done on the site in the Docklands was not site specific but I do not believe that. This was a waterside site down in the docks. This was a refurbishment site. In terms of going back to the drawing board, is there any timescale for this project and is it still proposed to do it by way of a public private partnership? Does the Minister have any idea when it will start? Will it start during the lifetime of this Government, if the Minister knows how long that will be?

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