Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the last question about the city of culture, the Deputy knows this is an important year for Limerick. There is a change in governance, with the city and county areas amalgamating, which is seen as a seismic change. The regeneration implementation group requested that it receive the designation this year to help with the process. That was the reason. I said Limerick city of culture would be treated more or less as a pilot project, but from now on there will be an open competition. Originally, we thought we would hold it every two years. This would have taken in 1916, which will be a major year of culture. We thought people would need a longer run-in, but if the regeneration implementation group had sought to cover 2015 or 2016, we would have granted its request. It is a coincidence that this is a major year for Limerick and the cultural sector was seen as another facilitator in the regeneration of Limerick. In the future the city of culture designation will be based on an open competition which will be launched shortly. I hope to announce the next city of culture at the closing event of the Limerick city of culture programme. There is interest in other cities.

In 2020 we will mark the European city of culture in Ireland and there will be a major competition for it. This will help cities to focus on their applications for designation as European city of culture. The last Irish city chosen was Cork in 2005. Dublin has been chosen previously. We hope the designation in Ireland will focus city on the strength of their applications. The emphasis will very much be on arts and culture and the events planned for the year. Community involvement will be very important, particularly among local arts practitioners. When there were issues with the Limerick board, I requested members of the arts community to be brought on board and they have responded.

Fostering creativity is important as one of the criteria set. Limerick is promoting itself as a technology hub. Those promoting it see culture as an intrinsic part of promoting Limerick as a technology hub and centre of creativity. There will be an application system which will be put in place shortly. We will announce it this year such that there will be a three year run-in to 2018 and it is already attracting attention.

The Living City initiative has created much interest. The Heritage Council carried out a review of how to make towns and population centres more attractive to live in. The review which ties in with the Living City initiative was carried out by Mr. Peter Bacon. I launched the report last week and it gives a very good insight into how effective the Living City initiative can be. We will carry out an overview of its effectiveness and what it yields in terms of conservation, preservation, job creation and a return to the Exchequer. If it meets these challenges and withstands the economic tests, I will promote its continuation and extension to other areas beyond those specified.

A number of issues have arisen regarding Brú na Bóinne. My Department met Louth County Council and the local community in considering an updated management plan for Brú na Bóinne. The current plan is out of date and the most difficult issue concerns planning and how the needs of local communities can be met without putting the world heritage status at risk. Engagement is ongoing on the new management plan for Brú na Bóinne and other areas. Planning is the central issue. Families living on the periphery are concerned that they may not receive planning permission in the future because the zone outside the site has been frozen. If it could be loosened up, it would allay the fears of those who are concerned about the matter. This applies particularly to Clonmacnoise and the Céide Fields, but several more sites could be designated. I have a particular interest in the issue on which I will continue to work.

With regard to expenditure on the decade of commemoration, including the 1916 Rising, the capital projects that will progress will be completed by 2016. They include the GPO which will have a major cultural and interpretive centre located within it. There has been considerable planning and the artefacts are in place. A vast number of artefacts remain from 1916. Last week, at the launch of the military pensions archive, we saw the amount of information available that had not been made public before. There is the capacity to have something exciting that will not only honour the people of 1916 but also provide a major boost for the GPO and O'Connell Street. It will result in a high footfall and could rejuvenate that part of the city.

Another ongoing development is the enhancement of Kilmainham Courthouse, a fine architectural building in Kilmainham Gaol.

There was an issue in regard to catering for the large numbers who visited it. It did not have proper facilities to hold the groups of people who visited and the result was that it could take only a certain number of people. The availability of the courthouse will certainly facilitate visitors and provide them with services. Food, memorabilia and so on will be available. All of that will be enhanced by the addition of the courthouse.

The military service pension project incurred some expenditure. Currently, we are working on Teach an Phiarsaigh in Connemara with Údarás na Gaeltachta. That is a very important project for which funding has been provided. I suppose they are the main capital projects we envisage.

There is another private project in Moore Street which, hopefully, will go ahead. NAMA has announced an allocation of €6.5 million for that project but it is in private ownership. If planning issues and other issues with Dublin City Council can be resolved, there is a strong possibility that the project could be delivered. There are proposals for Richmond Barracks and for a tenement building also. They are the main projects at this point.