Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the discussions he has had with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in relation to issuing an invitation to members of the British royal family to the centenary commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38483/13]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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39. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans to commemorate the contribution of women to the 1916 Easter Rising; his further plans to commemorate in particular the contribution of Cumann na mBan in the fight for Irish independence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38485/13]

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent)
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42. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures he is taking to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38411/13]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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55. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the discussions which his Department has held with other Government Departments and State Agencies surrounding the commemoration of the events of Easter 1916; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38416/13]

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent)
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60. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the discussions his Department has held with Dublin City Council regarding the commemoration of the events of Easter 1916; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38413/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 19, 39, 42, 60 and 55 together.

I am committed to working with all interested partners to ensure that the centenary commemorative programme is comprehensive, authentic and inclusive. The Easter Rising and the Proclamation of the Irish Republic will be at the centre of the programme and will be marked in 2016. In keeping with the development of an authentic programme, I anticipate that all the principal sites relating to the Rising and subsequent events will feature in the commemorations.

I am working with the Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations and partners in government to bring forward projects such as the online release of the Military Service Pensions Archive, which will provide unprecedented public access to primary source material about the Rising.

My Department is also working closely with Dublin City Council, which, in relation to the commemoration of the Easter Rising, has a special role in helping to achieve a balance of the various interests that exist in the city. As the national capital and the historic centre of the Rising, the city of Dublin will be the primary location of the centenary commemorations. Alongside the commemorations, however, the life of the city continues and the disruption of business, transport and services must be kept to a minimum. I believe that the centenary commemorations will have the goodwill and support of all and I will seek to facilitate a consultation process for all parties is established to ensure the optimal outcome. In recognition of the special position of Dublin in the commemorations, I arranged some time ago that officials and a member of Dublin City Council can attend at the meetings of the Oireachtas Group on Commemorations.

It is my firm belief that the Rising can best be commemorated by placing it in historical context and I have brought forward projects such as the RTE Century Ireland initiative, which is already charting the lives of the participants in the Rising from their first appearances in public life through to the Rising itself. The centenary of the founding of the Irish Volunteers will be commemorated in November next. Initiatives next year will include the founding of the Irish Citizens' Army and Cumann na mBan and special commemorative arrangements are being prepared for these organisations. I am particularly keen that the programme would give special attention to the economic and social conditions of the time. I am very grateful, therefore, for the support of the Women's History Association of Ireland in developing the arrangements for the centenary of Cumann na mBan and the wider issues of women in society at the time, including the campaign for electoral reform.

The particular arrangements to be brought forward for Easter 2016 are still under development. I will be very happy to provide more details regarding these arrangements as they are put in place in the lead-in to this important commemoration. However, in this, as with all commemoration events, the guiding principles that will be applied to this event will be inclusion, tolerance and respect.

As always, I would very much welcome the Deputies' views on the commemoration of the Rising and would be happy to discuss any proposals they might have.