John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

Coláiste Mhuire is in public ownership. The difficulty is that this is not the position in respect of 1 Granby Row. If the latter were to come back into the equation at market value, we would reconsider it. However, this appears to be unlikely.

The Carlton site on O'Connell Street is, prima facie, ideal for a new theatre. The difficulty is, however, that there are legal difficulties attaching to the site and it does not appear that it will become available in the short to medium term.

The current Abbey Theatre site requires a major extension of the footprint. It appears that time and cost would make that option less than desirable and it may, in fact, be completely unviable. The Hawkins House option remains in play and a number of other options are also available.

The Parnell Square site, without 1 Granby Row, does not meet the accommodation brief. Since this is the case, it could not be considered unless 1 Granby Row came back into play. I asked the Office of Public Works to reconsider the situation and I am awaiting a further report from it. Due to the commercial sensitivities involved, Deputy Deenihan will understand why I do not want to go into detail in respect of which sites might be suitable.

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