John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question. No. 8 of 17 February 2005. The Office of Public Works, having investigated over several years various locations for a state-of-the-art National Concert Hall in Dublin, advised me last year that reconfiguration of the site at Earlsfort Terrace where the concert hall is located would provide space for implementation of an imaginative design concept involving the provision of three separate performance spaces and access to Iveagh Gardens.

As Deputies will appreciate, however, if this concept is to be progressed further it can only be in the context of University College Dublin completing the relocation of all remaining college staff located at Earlsfort Terrace to Belfield. UCD's plans for completing this process are well advanced but the financial issues around the provision of additional accommodation at Belfield have yet to be resolved.

My Department is engaged in a series of complex discussions with the Department of Education and Science, the Office of Public Works and University College Dublin to clarify the financial and other implications of completing the move of UCD from Earlsfort Terrace to Belfield, a consequence of which would be to free up the site at Earlsfort Terrace for redevelopment as a modern concert hall complex. On completion of these discussions I hope to be in a position to discuss with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, the provision of a joint submission to Government on those interlocking issues.

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