Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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57. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the Oireachtas All Party Consultation Committee on Commemorations will meet again; and the nature of the role it will have. [47917/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am committed to re-establishing the Oireachtas All Party Consultation Committee on Commemorations and I expect that the practical arrangements to convene a first meeting of the Committee will be made as quickly as possible following receipt of party nominees from the Business Committee of the Oireachtas.

In the period leading up to the 1916 centenary commemorations, the All Party Consultation Committee on commemorations was instrumental in promoting an open, politically inclusive, consensus-based and honest approach, which allowed all narratives to be heard and ensured that the State reflected appropriately on all of the major historical events as they unfolded. The work of the Committee complemented the work of the Expert Advisory Group on Commemorations, which also provided advice and guidance to the Government on its approach based on the authentic history of the period.

Between 2018 and 2023, the Government will recall significant historical events that took place between 1918 and 1923 on the road to the foundation of the State, as well as important themes of that period. I am committed to ensuring that the State's approach to remembering this period and all of those who lost their lives during it will be based on the respectful, sensitive, inclusive and authentic approach that has become the hallmark of the Decade of Centenaries commemorative programme. I believe that the All Party Oireachtas Committee and the Expert Advisory Group have a significant contribution to make in this regard and I am looking forward to continued positive engagement and consultation with both groups over the coming period.