Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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664. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the timetable of the reconstruction and development of the National Concert Hall; if it will be closed during the course of the development; if alternative arrangements for the National Concert Hall have been made for the closure period; if she has held discussions with the National Concert Hall on the matter; the timetable and budget for the completion of the works; the anticipated opening date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46736/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Under its plan 'Investing in our Culture, Heritage and Language' the Government intends to invest €460m in a significant number of capital projects in our National Cultural Institutions over the period 2018 to 2027. This includes an amount of €78 million for the re-development of the National Concert Hall.

Investments under this plan will be subject to appraisal and evaluation in line with the Public Spending Code. This includes the consideration of a range of options prior to committing any funding to the project, an evaluation of the financial and economic implications of the project prior to procuring the project, and robust project management arrangements throughout the implementation phase.

The appraisal and planning for the re-development of the National Concert Hall is ongoing between my Department, the Office of Public Works and the National Concert Hall. It is inevitable that the Hall will have to close for a period during the course of the development. However, at this stage it is not possible to say definitively when and for how long the Hall will close.

I look forward to the development of this project which will be an important landmark for music provision in Ireland.