Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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34. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will outline plans for the funding of the necessary and planned works for a theatre (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3724/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The most recent five-year strategy for the theatre referred to by the Deputy is for the period 2019-2023 and sets out its mission, vision and values. The vision is to “build a 21st-century theatre and company where creativity drives our every move, developing the artists and audiences of the future”.

The theatre is not in State ownership and the cost of maintenance falls to the theatre itself. To assist the theatre to meet the challenges that come from operating within an aged building, my Department provides an annual capital grant. This capital grant assists the theatre in maintaining the building and allows the upgrading of technical equipment. This funding is separate from and in addition to the annual current funding that this theatre receives from the Arts Council.

There have been improvements made to the building in the past 10-15 years that include the reshaping of auditoria and the introduction of a front portico, that have improved the audience experience. Given the material condition of the current theatre building however, and the ongoing operational limitations it imposes, proposals for its upgrading and modernisation are in development. Core existing deficiencies and weaknesses include restricted theatre space, technical facilities, and the fabric of the building.

In addition, the proposed building redevelopment is included in the National Development Plan. As with all capital projects of scale, the proposed redevelopment project is subject to the Public Spending Code and the Board and management of the theatre has now advanced to the Preliminary Business Case stage of the Code. This stage examines the strategic case for the building project and considers in more detail the range of possible redevelopment options. The Preliminary Business Case also assesses the costs, benefits, affordability, deliverability, risk and sensitivities associated with various proposal options of the redevelopment, and provides the information required to inform decisions on the viability of the proposal.

It is expected that the Preliminary Business stage will be completed shortly and the project will advance to the next stage.