Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is an evasion if ever there was one. I do not accept that the Government can simply stand idly by when matters of this scandalous nature come into the public domain. The Minister is well aware that issues pertaining to the national monument have been the subject of widespread debate, including in this Dáil. The Government has a responsibility not just to the city of Dublin but to the entire country to ensure that the mindless vandalism of a national monument and historic site should not be allowed to proceed.

It is a matter of concern for the Government when the kind of shady dealings and very strange occurrences in the largest local authority in the State are laid bare not just in a documentary but in commentary. The city council has a responsibility in this but the Government is in charge and the matter is not localised; the preservation and development of Moore Street and the adjacent lanes beside the GPO is a matter of national concern. The Government has a responsibility to act. The matter is on the desk of Deputy Jimmy Deenihan. It is simple matter as he just has to give the word that the shopping mall development will not go ahead and the Government will undertake to acquire the site and develop it in an intelligent, thoughtful and appropriate way. It should give due regard to the women and men of 1916 and could prove to be a significant attraction and resource for Dublin.

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