Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As I outlined in my reply to today’s Priority Question No 1, my primary function in this case arises from the preservation order that was placed on Nos. 14-17 Moore Street under the National Monuments Acts 2007 in order to protect No. 16 as the site of the final council of war and final headquarters of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. The area surrounding the Moore Street national monument is largely in private ownership, is not covered by the provisions of the national monuments Acts and is the subject of a grant of full planning permission by An Bord Pleanála. Dublin City Council has statutory responsibility under the planning and development Acts for all planning and development matters in the area.

With regard to the national monument, the position is that the preservation order requires the consent of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to be obtained for any works affecting the monument buildings. Following extensive deliberations, ministerial consent was given to the owners in April 2014 for the creation of a 1916 commemorative centre in the monument buildings, involving the full repair and restoration of the structures, internally and externally.

Proposals that subsequently went before Dublin City Council late last year would have allowed the exchange of two modern 1990s buildings at Nos. 24 and 25 Moore Street, currently used as a cleansing depot, in return for full ownership of Nos. 14-17 being transferred to the city council. The transfer would have been accompanied by NAMA funding to cover the full cost of the restoration project and the proposed commemorative centre. I was disappointed that Dublin City councillors rejected these plans, which I believe provided a real opportunity to have the restoration work completed and the commemorative centre open in time for the centenary of the Rising in 2016. However, to ensure the long-term future of the national monument, I have secured the approval of the Government for it to be acquired by the State. This will bring the national monument into public ownership and secure its long-term future. It will also facilitate the safeguarding and restoration of the buildings and the development of the proposed 1916 commemorative centre to be run as a public facility.

My Department and the other parties involved are working to bring these matters forward as speedily as possible and I will be reverting to Government in the coming weeks with final proposals in this regard.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I can give a guarantee that Nos. 14-17 Moore Street will be developed as a commemorative centre to the 1916 leaders. There are some details remaining to be worked out and I have yet to bring a memo on the matter to Government. Work will commence as soon as possible.

On the remainder of the site, as I have said previously, it is outside of the national monument and is in private ownership. As such, it is not a matter for me. My responsibility is in respect of Nos. 14-17 Moore Street. This has now been secured into State ownership, which will protect its long-term future. It will be developed in a way that will ensure it is a lasting tribute to the 1916 leaders. It will also be a great addition in terms of the development in the GPO and the centre to be developed there. I believe both buildings will complement each other.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On the area surrounding Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, a detailed battlefield assessment has already been carried out and I am satisfied with the quality and findings of that research. As part of the Minister's consideration of the consent application, the consent applicant, Chartered Land Limited, which owns the national monument site, was asked by the Department in January 2012 to commission an assessment of the wider battlefield, including a battlefield assessment and inspections and fabric investigations of an area incorporating the block formed by Moore Street, O'Rahilly Parade, Moore Lane and Henry Place, and some of the areas south of Henry Place extending back towards Henry Street. The report, research, inspections and investigations reinforced the primary status of Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, most notably due to the degree to which the pre-1916 physical fabric survives and continues to convey an authentic and legible historical sense of the place within which the final critical hours of the Rising took place and how these buildings stand in marked contrast to the degree to which the historic fabric within the wider urban landscape no longer survives. Unlike other adjacent properties, Nos. 14-17 Moore Street also retains significant and extensive internal 18th century elements, including staircases, partitions, plaster work, doors, floors, fittings and fixtures. The 18th century building form and profiles also survive, along with the physical evidence of the presence of the insurgents in the form of the openings in the walls between the houses.