Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Defence when the viewing stand tickets will be issued to the family members of those being remembered next year in the 1916 commemorations. [36675/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Whilst responsibility for the Decade of Centenaries Programme rests with my colleague the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, both my Department and the Defence Forces will nevertheless play a significant role in many of the events planned for 2016.

One of the tasks assigned to my Department is that of custodian of the Register of Relatives of those who participated in the 1916 Easter Rising. Relatives of participants involved in the 1916 Rising, who had not previously attended annual events to commemorate the 1916 Rising, or expressed their interest in such events in previous years, were invited to complete an application form to register their interest in attending a major State ceremony to commemorate the Centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising at the GPO, O’Connell Street on Easter Sunday 2016.

This was a preliminary process to gather relevant details and to assess the numbers of Relatives who wish to receive an invitation to a seated area reserved for Relatives at the commemoration, but as stated in the Application Form submission of an application is not a guarantee of an invitation.

This registration process commenced on 1 April 2015 and closed on 30^thSeptember 2015.  This closing date was necessary to allow sufficient time required to plan for a State ceremonial event of this scale and to fully consider all of the logistical and operational challenges involved.

The response from Relatives has been extremely positive with a very large number registering their interest in attending. My Department is currently processing the applications received and work is ongoing on verifying relationships and checking the forms for possible duplicate applications.

Invitations to the Centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising at the GPO will issue from January 2016.