Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht bheith anseo inniu. I have a very simple question and I would like a very simple answer to it. When is the State going to open the 1916 commemorative centre at 14-17 Moore Street? The address was the last headquarters of the 1916 leaders - Pearse, Connolly and others. It is more than 100 years ago. We celebrated the centenary in 2016. Since I was first elected to the city council in 2004, I have worked with relatives of those involved in 1916, street traders, the city council and Members of the Oireachtas from all parties and none. There is a very strong proposal to develop a State-run heritage-focused 1916 commemorative centre. As a member of the ministerial advisory committee, I was very proud to work with others and we produced a report, which was adopted by the Government. We have repeatedly been promised a start date. This is the fourth time that I have raised the issue as a Commencement matter in the past year or so. I have raised it at Oireachtas joint committee meetings and within my own party.Therefore, the Minister of State will appreciate the level of disappointment and frustration. We had a great moment when the Government assigned €12 million in urban regeneration funding and endorsed and adopted the ministerial advisory report. That report made several recommendations, all of which are practical and pragmatic and all of which would lead us directly to the State provision of a commemorative centre.

The city council had an action plan. When I was on the city council, I chaired the expert group that proposed ensuring a sustainable model for street trading. I am glad the city council has made good progress on that. I invite everybody to visit the street market in Moore Street, particularly over the coming weekends, when it will operate not for six days per week, as is traditional, but for seven. It will be operating on a Sunday.

To get to the crux of this Commencement matter, we still have a blank and a scene of inactivity and neglect at 14-17 Moore Street. The OPW has promised that a design team will commence work, but we have been listening to promises for many months. In July, when the relevant Minister of State came to the House to deal with the last Commencement matter I raised on this subject, he promised that works would commence within weeks and that he would come to Moore Street with me and others to inspect the site and discuss our plans for it. It is with real regret that I have had to raise this Commencement matter today because it was my hope and that of many others that the works would commence and that there would be no need for us to be talking about this here anymore. I had hoped to witness the works proceeding on Moore Street.

I appreciate this matter does not fall under the portfolio or Department of the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and I appreciate his being here, but I really hope the relevant Minister of State and OPW have sent him here with a positive response and that he will be able to advise the House on a firm date for the commencement of the works so we can anticipate a date for the opening of a State-run 1916 commemorative centre at 14-17 Moore Street.