Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As part of the transfer of ownership to the State, all loans will be discharged over the monument site and all necessary licences and wayleaves will be put in place to carry out the national monument works.

I want to be as clear as I can in the hope that it will dispel the attempt at confusion and uncertainty that has always been the hallmark of certain parties that seem to be more anxious for nothing to happen than to see the monument properly restored and opened to the public. At the risk of repeating myself, the position is that the acquisition of Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on behalf of the State is in progress and will, I expect, be completed shortly. What is more, the Minister made this clear in the House in the past two weeks in answer to several parliamentary questions from Deputy McLellan.

This is the clearest possible demonstration of the Government's commitment to acknowledge and mark the historical importance of the site in a positive and substantive way and to guarantee, secure and safeguard the long-term future of this historical landmark. The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is actively engaged with the monument owners and other relevant parties to conclude the transfer of the property into State ownership as quickly as possible. This process is nearing completion. In common parlance, the sale is agreed.

The Minister is also considering the best way to restore the buildings in order for the commemorative centre, the plans for which are being developed in consultation with the 1916 Relatives Association, to open at the earliest possible date. The Minister has informed the House on innumerable occasions that her functions in this case arise from the preservation order that was placed in 2007 on Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street under the National Monuments Acts with the objective of protecting No. 16 as the site of the final council of war and final headquarters of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. The acquisition and restoration of the monument buildings by the State for the people is the clearest possible statement of how seriously the Government has taken this objective.

The commemorative centre to be housed in the restored monument buildings will be developed and run as a public facility that will enhance and complement the 1916 visitor facility being developed in the GPO from where the insurgents retreated to the Moore Street buildings. I look forward to it being completed and to seeing the public going through the doors in the centenary year of the most momentous events in our country's history.

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