Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 24 and 38 together.

The national monument at Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street is the subject of a preservation order under the National Monuments Acts. The effect of the preservation order is that any works affecting the site require my consent, as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, under section 14 of the National Monuments Act 1930, as amended.

On 16 July last I made a determination on a consent application and related environmental impact statement submitted by the owners, which dealt with proposed works on the monument site. I believe that, having carefully considered all the relevant factors, my decision on the consent application is the best way to ensure that work can take place at the national monument to develop an appropriate centre to commemorate the events of Easter week 1916, while also ensuring that the monument site is fully protected for future generations.

My decision provides for the creation of a 1916 commemorative centre, involving the full repair and conservation of the four buildings. The order I signed did not approve the demolition of any structures or the removal of any material from the site which dates from 1916 or before; nor did it approve works for the provision of an underground car park within the boundary of the national monument site, or the demolition of the Moore Lane facades of Nos. 15 and 16.

The national monument is in private ownership and, accordingly, the advancement of proposals that reflect the terms of the consent I have granted is a matter for the owners. The consent is, however, conditional on the submission of a revised project design for approval within nine months of the decision date that takes full account of the elements of the proposal for which consent has been refused and the conditions attached to the approved works.

A further condition requires substantive works to commence on site within three months of the approval of the revised proposals.

Responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the monument rests with the owners. My function in that respect is confined to considering any related proposals by the owners for which my consent must be sought under the National Monuments Acts. In addition to the order which I signed in July, consent has been applied for and granted from time to time for various works to protect the monument buildings, including, most recently, improvements to the appearance of the front of the buildings. The buildings are also included in the record of protected structures maintained by Dublin City Council under the planning Acts, and the council has specific powers of intervention should any particular concerns arise about their condition.

See this speech in context