Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Defence if relatives of 1916 veterans who did not accept a State pension are permitted for inclusion on the register to attend State centenary events; the procedure for inclusion on the register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4526/16]

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, 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 Rising, who had not previously attended annual events to commemorate it, 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 an area reserved for Relatives at the commemoration.

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 September 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.

Applicants were required to provide details of their relationship to a participant in the 1916 Rising and, where possible, to briefly outline the part played by their Relative in the Rising. Information provided was verified by the Department of Defence, principally, but not solely, by reference to Department records held as part of the Military Service Pensions Collection. In the circumstances where the Department was unable to confirm the relationship to the 1916 service of the relative mentioned on the Application Form the applicants were contacted and invited to provide additional information in support of their application.

Those that were not included on the register can view the Parade all along the Parade route and it is intended that there will also be a public viewing area on O’Connell Street.  Large screens will also be erected for maximum visibility.