Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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268. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to commemorate the 1916 Rising; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6510/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Plans to commemorate the 1916 Rising are well underway. The aim of the commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising is to have a rich diversity of programmes and events, complementary and additional to formal state occasions, which will run throughout 2016. In this regard, I am committed, together with my Government colleagues, to ensuring that the commemorations to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising will be inclusive, appropriate and respectful.

The Ireland 2016initiative, which I am leading, aims to develop, coordinate and deliver a programme to honour and remember those who fought and died in the 1916 Easter Rising. The Ireland 2016initiative will reflect on the legacy of that period and look towards our future, based around 5 themes, as set out in the Government's framework plan:

- Remembering the past

- Reconciling and respecting all traditions

- Presenting Ireland to the world

- Imagining our future

- Celebrating our achievements.

The dedicated Ireland 2016Project Team in my Department is currently engaged in an extensive consultation process across the Government, State agency and community sectors in order to progress the development of detailed plans for the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Meetings have taken place between the team and the various key Departments, agencies, local authorities and other interested parties and I am delighted at the level of interest and enthusiasm for the programme to date. I envisage that this formal consultation phase will be complete by end-February, but engagement will, of course, be ongoing with interested parties as the programme develops towards implementation.

In this regard, I have secured an allocation of €4 million in current funding to support the development of an integrated national plan focused on the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. This allocation will be used to engage with and support a wide range of activities and events by interested groups, including local community groups and the arts, as well as Irish language and educational projects. The allocation of €4 million is in addition to the capital provision of €22 million, which will be allocated in 2015 to a number of flagship commemorations projects.