Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will appreciate that the development of city quarters, such as the one outlined by him, is primarily a matter for Dublin City Council as the relevant local authority under the Planning and Development Act 2000. However, my Department is investing significantly in the city's cultural infrastructure through our national cultural institutions, including the Abbey Theatre. The record funding I have delivered in support of arts and culture, including direct funding through Creative Ireland and the Arts Council, is adding significantly to the vibrancy of our capital. Fáilte Ireland also has a number of strategic initiatives and partnerships in place to support a vibrant and diverse tourism industry in Dublin city.

As the Deputy will be aware from his constructive role on the all-party consultation group on commemorations, the Ireland 2016 centenary programme was the centrepiece of the Decade of Centenaries and its objective was to have a rich diversity of events and programming running throughout 2016, marking the centenary of the 1916 Rising, including those who took part in those seminal events. The programme was unprecedented in scale and ambition and rolled out a number of innovative programmes and initiatives across Dublin city and nationally. As part of the programme, the then Government invested significantly in major capital projects across Dublin city to leave a permanent and meaningful legacy for the commemorations.

These projects included: the GPO: Witness History visitor centre; a new visitor centre at Kilmainham Courthouse; the refurbished Kevin Barry Recital Rooms; refurbished military archives; an interactive tourist centre at Richmond Barracks; and the Henrietta Street tenement museum. All of these projects have contributed to providing an authentic and rich tourism offering in Dublin city for citizens and visitors alike.

Finally, in relation to Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street, the then Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht purchased the monument site in 2015. However, as the Heritage function transferred to the Department of housing in 2020, issues in relation to the national monument are now a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. That said, I am aware of the work which is being done there to conserve the national monument and to create a 1916 commemorative centre, which will add to the overall cultural, heritage and tourism attractiveness of Dublin.

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