Mr. Joe Hamill:

As the Deputy probably knows, in November the Government's programme for the 2016 commemoration was launched. It is being brought forward under a number of pillars under various strands such as the historical commemoration, working around reconciliation and looking forward to what Ireland will be like in the future.

In terms of funding for 2015, a sum of €22 million has been allocated for the capital area which is for flagship projects to be held in places like the GPO, a tenement museum and Kilmainham Gaol. There will be a military archives facility. Some of the money will go into national cultural institutions. The Kevin Barry rooms are being refurbished in the National Concert Hall. The first phase of the national archives will commence as part of that. There is a backbone of capital projects.

There has been an allocation this year of €4 million to promote the non-capital side of working towards the commemorations. In the past ten days or so the Minister announced an indicative allocation of €1 million of the allocation to work through local authorities. We see local authorities as local levers for a lot of this work. We have had meetings with the county managers. Most of them have already set up local committees to promote the planning of this project. They used people like their heritage officers, arts officers, librarians, etc. and people from that kind of area.