Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his contribution on this important topic. I am struck by the fact that we are discussing something that is of enormous value to us all. The Minister of State did a great job in acknowledging the wonderful literary and historical heritage of the institution we are discussing. He acknowledged that it was the first state-subsidised theatre in the world throughout a period of our history when there were so many other competing demands on our resources and limited revenue. Bold and courageous vision was shown by the people who were involved in it at that time and we owe it to them to ensure that vision continues in the next stage of the Abbey's future.

I listened with great interest to what the Minister of State said but it is a case of Hamlet without the prince because some of the most important questions people have on this project were not answered in his contribution. I will deal with some of those questions shortly while also reflecting on the Minister of State's contribution.

I have much personal fondness for and attachment to the Abbey Theatre. I suspect that, like many other people, my first introduction to the theatre was going to the Abbey Theatre with my family as a young boy and watching those great mysterious figures created by Brian Friel and Chekhov entertain people and describe other worlds to them. That gave many people the gift of appreciating the theatre, and it is incumbent on us to get these decisions right because we will live with the consequences of them for many years to come.

I am glad the Minster of State touched upon the announcement made today by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. It is a very exciting plan. I am fortunate to have both the Abbey Theatre and the docklands in my constituency. To see the Dublin Docklands Development Authority come forward with a €4.5 billion exciting, innovative plan, given the times we are in, is the clarity and leadership we need. It is wonderful to see this happening and to see Paul Moloney taking the lead on this.

In such a climate and environment, we cannot accept that everything is fixed. I wish to reiterate the argument regarding the future location of the theatre as there are two points which must be considered in any discussion. I believe there is still an overwhelming argument for locating it on the site at the top of O'Connell Street. I am aware this suggestion has been made many times by my predecessors but two points have changed when discussing O'Connell Street. First, there are now very exciting plans — which I hope will happen — regarding the transport links for O'Connell Street and in particular for the upper end of O'Connell Street. Metro north will have a metro stop on Parnell Square and there will be a Luas interchange on O'Connell Street. It is a fact that the public transport linkages planned for that end of O'Connell Street will be ahead of developments in the docklands.

Second, since these discussions were last taking place there is now movement on the planning future for the top end of O'Connell Street. A developer has lodged what in many ways is a progressive planning vision for that end of the street. Given that our predecessors had the insight and courage to establish a State-subsidised theatre, I would like to see the State step in and offer a vision for all of Dublin and not just for the docklands. Part of this vision should be to have a cultural institution of which we are all proud, regardless of whether or not we are theatregoers, accessible on the main street of our capital. This is so pressing that we should never lose any opportunity to raise and debate the issue, particularly when so many other things are being changed.

The Minister of State has acknowledged the process taking place but the most important question which has not been answered is when will the Abbey be open. If the Minister of State's current plans are to be implemented, can he clarify to the House today when this will happen? This is the most important piece of information needed and it is regrettable that this information is lacking in the Minister of State's opening statement.

I refer to the future of the Peacock Theatre which is situated beside the Abbey Theatre and is part of the Abbey institution. The Peacock Theatre has been at the forefront in looking after young, new and diverse playwrights. When I had the time I used to enjoy going to see the Saturday matinee performances when the theatre would introduce new playwrights and give them a chance to establish themselves and become known. It is vital to recognise we are not just talking about the Abbey Theatre, which looks after the work of the great and proud names the nation has been lucky to have produced but also we must find some way to ensure there is a channel for diverse new writers which the Peacock has offered so many times in the past.

It is vital to address the point regarding diversity on the board of the Abbey Theatre. Regrettably in the past there have been some difficult and unfortunate developments regarding the finances of the theatre. My hope is that this has all been resolved. As the Government looks at the management structure of the theatre in a new location — which I still hope will be in O'Connell Street but I am aware this might not be the case — I suggest this could be an opportunity to revisit the financial and management structures of the Abbey Theatre in order to categorically assure ourselves that when the organisation is lucky enough to be in a wonderful location which I hope we can all visit, it will have the structures and experience to make the very best of the opportunity it will be given.

My final point is indirectly related to the location of the Abbey Theatre. I have been very impressed by and proud to see the new theatres and cultural institutions dotted all around the country, including the Draíocht theatre in Blanchardstown with which I am most familiar. These institutions have been at the vanguard of introducing theatre and new forms of art to communities that otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience them. I would love to see the Abbey Theatre and its company become involved in this area. The theatre is our national theatre both in terms of where it is located — which is what we are discussing today — but also in terms of what it should do for the country as a whole and not just for those lucky enough to live near it or those lucky enough to be able to afford to travel to it.

The Minister of State has already acknowledged the national importance of the Abbey and I hope he will take this opportunity to state that given the developments that have taken place in O'Connell Street and the northside of Dublin, he will examine the possibility of ensuring this wonderful institution can be more centrally embedded in our capital city and take this opportunity to discuss the future of the Peacock Theatre and what can be done to ensure the Abbey flourishes in all the towns of our country so that everybody has the opportunity to experience what so many of us have been able to experience.