Vol. 482 No. 3
296 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands her views on the idea of proceeding with the construction of the Blanchardstown Arts Centre, Dublin 15 for which funding of £1.1 million has been sanctioned even though the other two components of the Blanchardstown Civic Centre, namely, the library and council offices are not in a position to be progressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17978/97]
The grant assistance of £1.1 million which has been approved, in principle, for the development of the Blanchardstown Arts Centre, was approved under the cultural development incentives scheme (CDIS) which my Department is administering under the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99. I am also aware that it is proposed to develop a library and council offices on an adjoining site and that both projects are being designed in an integrated way by Fingal County Council. However, in order for the project promoters to avail of the grant assistance offered under the CDIS they must be able to satisfy me that the centre can be fully completed in 1999. It is essential, therefore, that the project proceeds to the construction phase as soon as possible. While progress to date has been relatively slow, I have recently agreed a timetable for the development of the Arts Centre project which, if achieved, will see the site works for the project being undertaken later this month, and the project completed within the timeframe of the operational programme. Responsibility for the library and council office elements of the overall project rest with my colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, and Fingal County Council respectively.
