James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I want to start by thanking all Members for the contributions to this discussion. The Government is absolutely committed to the redevelopment of the GPO complex as an ambitious flagship project and plans are well under way for the refurbishment of the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. It is our commitment to honour the men and women and indeed the children of 1916. It is our ambition to create a commemorative centre marking the 1916 Rising and the historic time period that it was.

I rise today to defend not just the policies of this Government but the integrity of our approach to the preservation and the commemoration of our shared history. It is a history that includes the heroism and the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916, stories that many of us know well today, but stories we want not only to preserve and celebrate but ones we want to make accessible to the coming generations here in Ireland and those who visit.

Let me say at the very outset, the Government unequivocally honours the legacy of the 1916 Rising. We are deeply committed to the preservation of the General Post Office and Moore Street, not merely as some sort of relics to our past but as living, enduring parts of our national story. I agree that this genuine commitment must be matched by responsibility and action, not grandstanding nor sloganeering. That is why I must directly address the Private Members' motion tabled by Deputy Mary Lou McDonald and her Sinn Féin colleagues. It is long on accusations but short on solutions, heavy with symbolism but light on substance. It accuses successive governments, and by implication this Government, of negligence and even of widespread destruction of a republican heritage. That claim is not just disingenuous; it is demonstrably false.

Let me put on the record exactly what we have done. First, this Government secured and preserved the national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. After years of delay, including under local authorities and political parties now making accusations, we purchased this site and undertook critical stabilisation and weatherproofing works. More than that, we have progressed the restoration and conservation of these historic premises and underground escape routes. We have advanced many of our programmes. This is what we want. We want to welcome people into this space, to invite them in to learn and hear from the lives gone before for the country that we have now. Unlike the vague and politicised vision Sinn Féin offers, our approach intends to be practical and, importantly, deliverable.

As for the GPO itself, let us be clear, it remains in full public ownership. It will remain a functioning post office for the time being. Its museums will remain open for the time being. Any redevelopment will preserve its central place in the cultural and historical fabric of the nation.

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