Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 4: To ask the Taoiseach cad iad na comórthaí a bheidh a Roinn a mhaoiniú i mbliana. [30598/09]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 5: To ask the Taoiseach his plans for official commemorations for the remainder of 2009 and for 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39134/09]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Tá sé de rún agam Ceisteanna Uimh. 4 agus 5 a fhreagairt le chéile.

Bhí baint ag mo Roinnse mar is gnách leis an gcomóradh bliantúil ar Éirí Amach 1916 ag Ard Oifig an Phoist an 12 Aibreán agus leis an Lá Comórtha Náisiúnta ag Ospidéal Ríoga Chill Mhaighneann an 12 Iúil.

Chomh maith leis sin, tá leithroinnt de €170,000 tríd an gCiste Tionscnamh Comórtha déanta ag mo Roinn faoi fhomhír E de na Meastacháin i mbliana le cuidiú le tionscnaimh chomhórtha. Tá an maoiniú sin ann le cuidiú le daoine aonair agus le grúpaí agus iad ag eagrú comóradh daoine aonair nó imeachtaí lena mbaineann tábhacht ó thaobh na staire.

Go dtí seo, tá maoiniú tugtha i dtreo chostas Pháirc Shíochána Mhaigh Eo agus i dtreo foilseacháin a dhéanann comóradh ar chothrom 150 bliain bhunú Bhráithreachas Poblachtach na hÉireann. Tá maoiniú geallta freisin le comóradh a dhéanamh ar chothrom 200 bliain shaolú William Gladstone, do chomhdháil an Institute for British-Irish Studies (IBIS) ar thraidisiúin Phrotastúnacha iolracha in Éirinn, d'Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann d'fhoilsiú "Judging Lemass" agus do Bhailiúchán Béaloidis an Tuaiscirt le haghaidh foilseacháin le comóradh a dhéanamh ar bhunú Choimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann 75 bliain ó shin.

Tá na socruithe do 2010 fós á bplé. Chomh maith le himeachtaí in Éirinn, féachfar freisin ar cheiliúradh ar shaoirse 200 bliain ó shin i Meicsiceó, san Airgintín, in Uruguay agus sa tSíle agus an ról tábhachtach a bhí ag daoine a saolaíodh in Éirinn nó ag sliocht Éireannach mar Admiral William Brown chun saoirse a bhaint amach.

Shamhlóinn go dtiocfadh Ranna Rialtais agus Gníomhaireachtaí Stáit chun cinn le moltaí a dhéanfar a cheiliúradh in 2010. My Department was involved as usual in the annual commemoration of the Easter Rising at the GPO on 12 April and the National Day of Commemoration at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham on 12 July. In addition, my Department has allocated €170,000 through its commemoration initiatives fund under subhead E of its Estimates this year to support commemorative projects. This funding is available to assist individuals or groups in organising the commemoration of individuals or events of historic importance.

Funding has been given towards the cost of the Mayo Peace Park and towards a publication to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Funding has been also committed to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of William Gladstone, to the Institute for British-Irish Studies, IBIS conference on the plural Protestant traditions in Ireland, to the Royal Irish Academy towards the cost of the publication Judging Lemass and to the National Folklore Collection towards a publication to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Irish Folklore Commission next year.

The arrangements for 2010 are still under deliberation. In addition to events in Ireland, consideration will be given to marking the bicentenary of the independence of Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile and the significant role that Irish-born or Irish descendents such as Admiral William Brown played in their transition to independence. I envisage that Departments and State agencies will come forward with suggestions for commemorations in 2010.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Bunaoídh coiste ag an Rialtas roimh an olltoghchán deireanach le ullmhú do chomóradh 1916. Ní raibh cruinniú ar bith ag an coiste sin ó shin.

The Government established a committee to prepare a programme leading up to the centenary of the 1916 Rising prior to the last general election. There was a request for submissions and ideas from all interested opinion. Sinn Féin made a submission but there has been no proposal since 2007 to either reconvene or reconstitute the committee. The Minister for Defence, who has responsibility for this work is beside the Taoiseach this morning. To the best of my knowledge the committee has not been functioning since 2007. Maybe I will be contradicted.

How soon is it intended to resume the work of that committee? When will we see full engagement in preparation for that fast-approaching major event? In the lead-up to 1916 many important events took place here. In the course of attending to the preparations for 2016 this committee could have addressed other important anniversaries along the way. The Houses of the Oireachtas have not addressed the centenary this year of the founding of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, ITGWU. In 1909 Countess Markievicz founded Na Fianna Éireann. These events were very important in their time and the ITGWU continued to have a significant role in every decade since then, through difficult years and better times, up to the present.

I would have expected that this committee would have considered events that led, and were part of the backdrop to, Easter week 1916, in preparing for the centenary. Will the Taoiseach enlighten us about his attitude to those ideas and when he expects the committee will resume its work programme? It is not too late to mark the centenary of the establishment of the ITGWU or Na Fianna Éireann before the conclusion of this year and I commend the idea to the Taoiseach.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Tá obair ar siúil sa choiste sin agus tá an tAire in aice liom anseo ina Chathaoirleach ar an choiste. Beidh cruinniú i rith na seachtaine seo chun an dul chun cinn atá déanta aige a chur os comhair na baill eile sa choiste agus beidh siad in ann sin a phlé. Beidh cruinniú againn i rith na seachtaine. Beidh an Teachta in ann na hábhair is cúram dó a chur os comhair an Aire agus os comhair an choiste ag an am sin.

This is an important committee in which a great deal of work is going on under the responsibility of the Minister for Defence. The Department of Defence has been very much involved in the work. Submissions have been sought and made. The Minister will bring people up to date on its work when that meeting resumes. As one comes closer to the date in question there will be more frequent meetings but that is a matter for the committee to discuss. I do not want to anticipate what might emerge as a consensus on how we might proceed in respect of related events closer to that date. It is an important date and a great deal of thought must be given to how we can commemorate not simply its military importance but how we can bring forward ideas for cultural, social and other events that will do justice to the breadth of vision of the leaders at that time. They were progressive thinkers on equality and inclusiveness in every respect in their era.

SIPTU has commemorated its anniversary this year. It has applied to the commemoration initiatives fund, which is the subject of this question, for a contribution to the cost of publication of the political writings of James Connolly. This is part of a series of four volumes on his life. Two were published in 2005 and 2007 respectively. I am sure that application will receive due and proper consideration.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The committee to which Deputy Ó Caoláin referred was an all-party committee established following the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. That arose from concern expressed at the time that the Government's handling of the commemoration was somewhat partisan and that it would be more appropriate that the commemoration be of an all-party nature to reflect the genuinely national nature of the independence movement and all that happened then. It is important that the committee meet and prepare for the centenary commemorations of several significant events that we will be counting down, such as the 1913 Lockout, the foundation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913, the start of the First World War and the 1916 Rising and the various events after that.

It is also important that while appropriate arrangements are made for the 1916 centenary commemorations, an eye should be kept to the danger of over-commemorating. If we have far too many commemorations, there is a danger of commemoration fatigue. I suggest the Taoiseach and the Minister for Defence arrange for that committee to meet so that appropriate arrangements can be made for the centenary commemoration to ensure they are proper and appropriate. We must ensure the commemorative process has some degree of proportion attached to it.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I do not disagree with some of that sentiment. Commemorations are of most value when they are placed in the modern world in which we live with relevance and that we can learn from them rather than just commemorating the past alone. It is also important that we do not deny them. It is a matter for perspective and balance and we must recognise the authentic separatist tradition they represent.