Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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536. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will facilitate a briefing of locally elected members of Cork City Council by the Attorney General and senior Department officials on the issues of the project development board regarding the retendering of the Cork event centre; and if he will assign a date for that to happen in person. [44545/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Cork Event Centre was included as a Government commitment under the revised National Development Plan in 2021. This underlines the Government’s support for urban regeneration, enhanced amenity and heritage, associated quality of life standards, balanced regional development, and the regeneration and development of Cork City Centre.

The Government decision of 22 October re-affirms its commitment to and ongoing Exchequer funding support for an Events Centre in Cork City, given its strategic alignment with the growth ambition for Cork City, as set out in the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan. The decision requires that the procurement process begins afresh and that a project development board, led by Cork City Council, be established to expedite the process.

My Department wrote to Cork City Council on the 31 October outlining details of the Government decision and the next steps required of the Council in order to begin formation of the project development board, including identification of potential board members and drafting the terms of reference for the board. These initial steps are expected to be completed and the board established within a matter of weeks.

Responsibility for the new process rests with the project development board and as such any briefings of locally elected members will need to be considered by the board, once it is established.