Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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281. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which her Department continues to promote and support the 1916 commemoration at local and national level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24446/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government’s Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme was launched in the National Museum, Collins Barracks, on 31^stMarch 2015 and planning is well underway in relation to the activities, events and initiatives set out under each of the seven strands of the programme. One of the core objectives of the programme is to encourage and facilitate participation by, and the inclusion of, the citizens of Ireland to the greatest extent possible in the programme of events to commemorate this significant centenary.

At the centre of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme are the State Ceremonialevents, which represent the formal and solemn remembrance of the events of 1916 by the citizens of Ireland as the seminal event in our modern history, which led to our independence. The importance of our national flag and the ideals behind the Proclamation will also play a central role in the programme of events.

The 2016 Project Office in my Department has been engaged in an extensive consultation process across the Government, State agency and community sectors to progress the development of detailed plans for 2016. A widespread public consultation process has been underway for a number of months in order to encourage and facilitate the involvement of national and local, ground-up initiatives in the wider commemorative programme.

The Community Participationstrand of the programme is being led by local authorities across the country and I have been working closely with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly, T.D., in this regard. Each local authority has appointed a steering committee and a dedicated ‘Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme’ co-ordinator, to support engagement and facilitation within local communities to generate awareness of the national programme; and to develop and deliver 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. A series of public meetings in each county is nearing completion, at which members of the public came together to hear about Ireland 2016, meet those involved in their community, and to explore and learn about how they can get involved. I have allocated funding of €1 million to local authorities in 2015 to support this overall process.

My Department's 2016 Project Office is engaging with the National Cultural Institutions, the Arts Council and the Heritage Council to ensure that a comprehensive and diverse cultural programme is developed. Meetings and a dedicated workshop have also been held with a wide range of Irish language groups in order to develop an Irish language programme. My Department has been working closely with

- the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to develop an appropriate programme involving the Irish Diaspora and also to engage communities in Northern Ireland;

- the Department of Education and Skills to ensure the involvement of primary and post-primary schools and third level education; and

- the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to ensure that the views of children are taken on board and that they have a meaningful contribution to make.

My Department is also engaging actively with representatives of the various relatives groups and individual relatives to hear their views on the overall programme and to ensure that they will have a central role in a number of the key State events.