Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to begin with a quotation that is relevant. It comes from a writer-director who wrote "The generation that won ... Independence lives in the ideas we honor, the architecture we preserve and the battlefields we yet can save.” This is quoted at the start of the report from the Moore Street consultative group, which was presented to the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Humphreys, on 29 March, 2017. Someone said to me recently that we are much better at recognising defeats than victories. I acknowledge the victory and success that came with the report from the consultative group. The Minister had set up that group in late September 2016, part of which is made up of representatives from Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Green Party, Sinn Féin, People Before Profit and from the Independents. There are other Deputies and councillors on the group, as well as 1916 relatives, the Save No. 16 Moore Street committee members and the Moore Street traders. Under a very able chairman, we went through a public consultation process, submissions, expert advice etc. At the end of the process we were all on the same page. We all agreed and we all endorsed the report and the vision for the development of the Moore Street battle site as part of a historic cultural quarter to capture that moment-in-time experience such as that in Kilmainham Gaol and other places and to capture the sense of what it was like for those who evacuated the GPO and for those who lived and worked on Moore Street. It would also recognise the fact that five of the signatories spent their last few hours there. We all endorsed the proposals to preserve the streetscapes, the lanes and the regeneration of the Moore Street market for the traders. There has been so much progress and so much success, with very clear recommendations that can be realised. These recommendations have been laid out, starting with the State - as the custodian of our history and heritage - and then the advisory group, under an independent chairman with the resources to do the work. The Minister response was to state she was fully supportive of the constructive approach and that she wants to see the work of the group being built on "so we can progress to the next stage". I want to know what exactly that means in real, practical terms in order that we can move on the recommendations of the report within the clear timeframes. We know there have been years and years of neglect and decline and of indifference to the battlefield site. There also has been indifference to the difficulties to the livelihoods of the Moore Street traders. When will phase two begin, what are the Government plans in this respect and has the report come to Cabinet yet?

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