Jimmy Deenihan
Question:7 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the refurbishment of the Abbey Theatre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16172/03]
Other Questions. - Abbey Theatre.
Joan Burton
Question:26 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the redevelopment of the Abbey Theatre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16131/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 26 together.
The Government has approved my proposal to invite expressions of interest by way of public invitation from the private sector in participating, on the basis of a public private partnership, in the capital redevelopment of the Abbey Theatre in and-or around the vicinity of the site of the existing theatre. I understand that the Office of Public Works will shortly be advertising in the Official Journal of the EU to engage advisers to help with the drawing up of a detailed specification for the project.
When will the Minister invite expressions of interest in a PPP from the private sector? If there is no interest from the private sector, how will the Minister proceed? What incentives will there be for the private sector when interest is being sought in this important project? Did the Minister consider a joint project with the National Concert Hall in view of his response on the Estimates that the National Concert Hall may have to move from its present location? Does this present an opportunity to locate the Abbey Theatre and the National Concert Hall on the same site?
If I was asked to name one project out of all those in my Department which would be highly attractive to a private investor, it would be the Abbey Theatre. It is true that the footprint of the present location would have to be expanded to provide an adequate national theatre but it is important that we have a decision from the Government that we are going to proceed and that it has agreed that expressions of interest be invited from potential private sector partners for the redevelopment of the theatre.
The Office of Public Works is preparing to commission a group of experts to advise on the detail of this invitation. A draft advertisement and tender documents have been prepared to invite tenders from a consortium of financial, process, legal and technical client advisers to advise in the first instance on the appropriateness of a public private partnership approach to the project. These documents have been circulated to the Abbey Theatre steering group for its observations. It is expected that the advertisement will be placed in the national newspapers and the official journal of the EU at the earliest possible date after the necessary approvals are received.
A steering group consisting of representatives of the Office of Public Works, the Department of Finance, the Abbey Theatre, my Department and the consortium team leader, when appointed, will oversee management of the project. It is envisaged that the Office of Public Works will be in a position to appoint the consortium 11 weeks from the date of advertisement. Subject to the advice received from the consortium, Office of Public Works will then be in a position to revert to the Department of Finance. We will then reach the crucial stage of proceedings.
I visit the Abbey Theatre on a regular basis and the repositioning of the theatre away from the present site would be a mistake. The infrastructure for car parking and the theatre's proximity to Busáras is appropriate, particularly for those from the rural community who attend the Abbey Theatre. I hope that the proposal will not envisage moving the theatre from its present location.
What criteria are laid down for the possible size of the theatre? Will its size be increased by a particular margin or will that decision be made when technical advice is given to the Department? Are national theatres in other cities being examined, particularly if there is a rule of thumb for the size of such developments and will the public be able to debate the matter? We should ensure the project is brought to a successful conclusion as soon as possible.
This generation of Irish people is extremely creative and imaginative. It is remarkable that at this point we still do not have a public building that gives architectural expression to that creativity and imagination and the provision of a new national theatre would give us the opportunity to do that. The existing site of the Abbey Theatre is the chosen site at present. The size of that site must be increased if we are to have a theatre which is worthy of the title "national theatre" and which can celebrate Irish tradition, culture and literature in all its diversity. It would not be beneficial for me to speculate on what might happen as a result of the process we are undertaking but I sincerely hope that it will lead to the provision of a truly national theatre in Dublin.
Does the Minister envisage a timeframe for this new Abbey Theatre that would be a proper expression of our culture and of which we could be proud, particularly as next year is the centenary of the Abbey? It is appropriate to make decisions now and set a timescale. Can the Minister be specific? Will the new theatre be ready within five years?
The present footprint of the theatre is not large enough to provide the type of theatre that is needed. How much private property will have to be acquired to facilitate the increase in size?
The existing Abbey Theatre has not just an historic but a cultural resonance across the country that goes back to Lady Gregory. Many people would have an emotional attachment to the present site.
It has many connections to Kerry.
It will be necessary to acquire a number of buildings adjacent to the present site and I hope we succeed in doing that. That, however, would pre-empt the process. The feasibility of a public private partnership is being investigated at this point. It is a complex area and it would be unhelpful of me to put a timescale on what might occur in a public private partnership. We have embarked on this path and I hope to ensure that it reaches a successful conclusion.