Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the detailed programme of commemorations for 1916 will be published; her plans to increase allocations to local authorities, to mark the occasion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10197/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Plans to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising are well underway and I expect to be in a position to publish a detailed programme of commemorative events within the coming weeks. 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.I have secured an allocation of €4 million in current funding to support the development in 2015 of the Ireland 2016initiative. Within this allocation in 2015, €1 million is to be distributed across all local authorities. The purpose of this funding allocation is to

- Support engagement and facilitation within local communities to generate awareness of the Ireland 2016initiative and the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising; and

- Support each local authority in developing and delivering a plan for a suitable programme of events and initiatives to take place at a county level in line with the national plans for Ireland 2016.

Local authorities will be notified of individual allocations very shortly.

I believe that the work of local authorities will be central to the commemorations programme for 2016 and I have met with the CEOs and mayors of local authorities, as well as with their arts and heritage officers, to discuss the best ways of ensuring the success of the locally-based programmes of events and initiatives.