John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I have been doing everything I can to try to advance the cause of the National Concert Hall. The position is as I outlined. We have entered discussions with the Department of Education and Science, the Office of Public Works and UCD in regard to the Earlsfort Terrace site. Obviously this is contingent on UCD moving from the Earlsfort Terrace building to accommodation in Belfield.

On the configuration for the hall itself, the proposal put forward would involve the construction of a new auditorium with a capacity for up to 2,000 patrons, together with a smaller flexible configuration recital auditorium with a capacity for up to 400 patrons. Events could take place in both simultaneously. The existing auditorium would be refurbished and used by the RTE Symphony Orchestra for rehearsals and performances. Its current capacity of 1,200 seats would be reduced to 900 seats.

It is not possible to confirm if such a configuration would be adopted. It would be a matter of examining closely the financial cost and yield associated with such a proposal. The proposed project is still at the feasibility stage and no architect's drawings have yet been made. I appreciate the efforts of the chairperson of the National Concert Hall, Dr. Egan, and others to try to ensure the project is progressed. An effort was made originally to site the new national concert hall in the Dublin docklands area. Unfortunately, when push came to shove, the authority was unable to produce the necessary site. This brought us back to the site of the present National Concert Hall and the question of redeveloping the site with a view to providing a new national concert hall.

I said on many occasions in the past that despite the fact that this is one of the most creative and imaginative generations of Irish people ever, there is no public architecture in existence to give expression to this imagination and creativity. I sincerely hope we can change that.

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