Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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688. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if as part of the decade of commemoration her plans to provide funding to refurbish monuments erected in memory of those who died during that period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48193/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I have secured an allocation of €4m in current funding for 2015, which will support the development of an integrated national plan focused on the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. This allocation will support a wide range of activities and events by interested groups, including local community groups and the arts. There will also be a special emphasis on education projects, as recommended by the Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations. A widespread public consultation process is now underway in order to encourage and facilitate the involvement of ground-up initiatives in the wider commemorative programme. It is my intention that local authorities will play a lead role in bringing the consultation process forward and I remain open to considering the full range of commemorations proposals that will emerge.

I look forward also to working with the Oireachtas All-Party Consultation Group on Commemorations, the Expert Advisory Group and a wide range of stakeholders over the coming 18 months to make the events of Easter 2016 a very special and poignant tribute to all those involved.