Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 50: To ask the Minister for Defence when the all party consultative group on the centenary of the 1916 Rising last met; when he expects the next meeting to be held; the progress made by the group to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38112/10]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The All Party Oireachtas Consultation Group on the Centenary of the 1916 Rising last met on Wednesday, 2nd December, 2009, for discussions and site visits to Glasnevin Cemetery and the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks to view projects relating to the 2016 Commemoration of the 1916 Rising. I hope to convene a meeting of the All Party Oireachtas Consultation Group on the Centenary of the Rising in the coming weeks.

The work of the Group to date has been addressed towards the re-instatement of the annual military commemorations in Dublin at Easter, the review of current conservation and development projects and a consideration of outline arrangements for a commemorative framework to be implemented in the anniversary period.

I look forward to working with the Group in the coming months with a view towards a comprehensive commemorative programme to be implemented across the anniversary period, centered on official initiatives but also including academic, community, diaspora and commercial initiatives.

Since entering office, I have reviewed several projects and proposals in relation to commemorative initiatives of the relevant period.

The most significant current project at my Department is the Military Service Pensions Archive project. This Archive is the largest remaining source of unpublished material relating to the events of the Independence years. I am glad to report that significant progress has been made towards having these records available to the public and to historians in good time for the Centenary of the Rising in 2016. Significant progress is being also made with projects in other Departments.

The restoration of the yacht Asgard with which Erskine Childers imported arms for the Volunteers is at an advanced stage at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.

Renewal works were undertaken at Arbour Hill including restoration and extension of the existing church car park, repair and restoration of all existing cemetery graves, repair of cemetery pathways and the planting of new trees.

An examination by the Office of Public Works of the suggested relocation of the Abbey Theatre to the GPO complex is nearing completion.

I am also aware of a number of private and commercial initiatives relating to the struggle for Independence.

With the support of TG4 and the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, an independent production of biographies of the seven signatories of the proclamation was prepared and features in current broadcast schedules.

The Moore Institute, under the guidance of the National University of Ireland, Galway are planning a series of symposia in 2010 to commemorate 1916, in conjunction with Queens University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin.

Complementing the continuing programme of refurbishment works at Glasnevin Cemetery, a joint initiative between the Glasnevin Trust and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is erecting headstones on the graves of former personnel of the British armed services who died from injuries received during the World Wars. Most of the 43 headstones to be installed this year relate to those who died in the conflict of 1914-18.

I have been impressed by the widespread interest reflected in the planning and activities in anticipation of the Centenary anniversaries. I am looking forward to meeting Deputies shortly with a view to development of a comprehensive commemorative framework for the period.