Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the news that a design team has been appointed and that major conservation design concepts have been developed. I really welcome the fact that this work is taking place in parallel with the application for ministerial consent. In his further reply, I would appreciate if the Minister of State could clarify if it is the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage who is required to give the consent for the works to the national monument. It is really welcome to hear it that we can anticipate that works will commence in 2026. We have been a long time waiting. I believe that the painstaking work has been incredibly valuable and will lead to a richer and more powerful exhibition when the work is actually completed.

I again thank the Minister of State for the update. He needs to keep the pressure on. We have waited a long time and we really want to see this realised not just for Moore Street and the relatives of the 1916 Rising. This is a national monument of national and international importance. The actions that those heroes took in 1916 sparked a trajectory for our Republic that we still enjoy today. Our independence, democracy and freedom came from that spot and it is really important that it is appropriately commemorated.