Vol. 876 No. 3
1. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for the Moore Street area in Dublin 1 in the wake of her announcement of 31 March 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16943/15]
With just eight months to go before 2016, the question seeks to establish what the Government will be able to achieve with regard to the development of the Moore Street site and the national monument there. It acknowledges the fact that the State has correctly taken the property into ownership but seeks to establish what will be done about the birthplace of our republic between now and 2016.
My primary function in this case arises from the preservation order that was placed on Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street in 2007 under the National Monuments Acts and to protect No. 16 as the site of the final council of war and final headquarters of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. The area surrounding the Moore Street national monument is largely in private ownership and is not covered by the provisions of the National Monuments Acts. It is the subject of a grant of full planning permission by An Bord Pleanála. Dublin City Council has statutory responsibility under the planning and development legislation for all planning and development matters in the area. With regard to the national monument itself, the position is that the preservation order requires the consent of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to be obtained for any works affecting the monument buildings. After extensive deliberations, ministerial consent was given to the owners in April 2014 for the creation of a 1916 commemorative centre in the monument buildings, involving the full repair and restoration of the structures, both internally and externally.
Proposals that subsequently went before Dublin City Council late last year would have allowed the exchange of two modern 1990s buildings at Nos. 24 and 25 Moore Street, currently used as a cleansing depot, in return for full ownership of Nos. 14 to 17 being transferred to the city council. The transfer would have been accompanied by NAMA funding to cover the full cost of the restoration project and the proposed commemorative centre. I was very disappointed that Dublin City Council members rejected these plans, which I believe provided a real opportunity to have the restoration work completed and the commemorative centre open in time for the centenary of the Rising in 2016.
To ensure the long-term future of the national monument, I have secured the approval of the Government for it to be acquired by the State. This will bring the national monument into public ownership and secure its long-term future. It will also facilitate the safeguarding and restoration of the buildings, and the development of the proposed 1916 commemorative centre to be run as a public facility. The Department and the other parties involved are working to bring these matters forward as speedily as possible and I will revert to the Government in the coming weeks with final proposals in this regard.
I thank the Minister. There was a large share of agreement between us in the run-up to the decision of Dublin City Council. Regrettably, its decision changed everything and we are, as they say, where we are. In this respect the Minister's response is a little disappointing. Many people here have been signalling their concern over recent years that 2016 would come and we would not have done the redevelopment work essential to the critical site. Fianna Fáil has published, through the good offices of Senators Darragh O'Brien, Diarmuid Wilson and Mark Daly, the Moore Street Area Renewal and Development Bill 2015, modelled on the very successful Temple Bar development proposal. If the Minister is not in a position today to give us an indication of what will have happened at Moore Street by 2016 will she tell us she will accept the legislation which is aimed at achieving positive results for the area?
The Deputy will appreciate some fundamental matters must be dealt with before there is any question of getting the work under way in Moore Street. He can be assured the intention is to have the restoration work completed and the commemorative centre up and running in the shortest possible time-frame. How long that will take I cannot say at present, but all options will be looked at with a view to delivering the project with a minimum of delay.
With regard to the proposed legislation mentioned, my remit under the National Monuments Acts is defined by the preservation orders of Nos. 14 to 17, Moore Street. Plans or proposals for the wider area outside the confines of the national monument site are the responsibility of Dublin City Council as the planning authority. Any legislative proposals for a new Temple Bar-type approach to the Moore Street area, as announced by Fianna Fáil, would be a matter for the Minister of the Environment, Community and Local Government under whose remit the matter falls.
The Minister has responsibility for heritage and we need her to be a leader and to drive forward these plans. It is not just a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; it is a matter for the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to take a leadership role. My colleagues in the Seanad have brought forward this very positive proposed legislation, which is broad and all-encompassing in terms of the powers it would give to enable the site to be developed in the way it deserves to be developed. One of the difficulties we have now is that Chartered Land's plan, which the Minister supported and which I personally supported, was rejected but the Department had no plan B. We have arrived at this juncture with regard to the birthplace of our republic and the Government had no plan B with regard to what it would do if plan A went wrong, which it did. Now we will find that, in reality, nothing will be ready by Easter 2016 on Moore Street.
To be clear, my role as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is to assess what is best for the national monument, and the national monument has been designated as Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street. I do not have any powers under the National Monuments Acts to create an historic quarter in Moore Street. The properties around the national monument are in private ownership. They are not subject to my remit under the National Monuments Acts. The redevelopment plans for the area have received full planning permission from An Bord Pleanála. The good news is we have the building. I must bring a proposal to the Government to develop it. The proposed plans for the centre were fine and would have been a great facility in Moore Street. I have been there and it is very derelict. The proposed plans would have represented a tribute to the leaders.
I will bring a memo to Government. It is my intention that the work will commence as quickly as possible.
2. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide a detailed update on developments since the Government's recent purchase of Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, Dublin 1. [16962/15]
I am seeking a detailed update from the Minister on developments since the Government's recent purchase of Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, Dublin.
As I outlined in my reply to today’s Priority Question No 1, my primary function in this case arises from the preservation order that was placed on Nos. 14-17 Moore Street under the National Monuments Acts 2007 in order to protect No. 16 as the site of the final council of war and final headquarters of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. The area surrounding the Moore Street national monument is largely in private ownership, is not covered by the provisions of the national monuments Acts and is the subject of a grant of full planning permission by An Bord Pleanála. Dublin City Council has statutory responsibility under the planning and development Acts for all planning and development matters in the area.
With regard to the national monument, the position is that the preservation order requires the consent of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to be obtained for any works affecting the monument buildings. Following extensive deliberations, ministerial consent was given to the owners in April 2014 for the creation of a 1916 commemorative centre in the monument buildings, involving the full repair and restoration of the structures, internally and externally.
Proposals that subsequently went before Dublin City Council late last year would have allowed the exchange of two modern 1990s buildings at Nos. 24 and 25 Moore Street, currently used as a cleansing depot, in return for full ownership of Nos. 14-17 being transferred to the city council. The transfer would have been accompanied by NAMA funding to cover the full cost of the restoration project and the proposed commemorative centre. I was disappointed that Dublin City councillors rejected these plans, which I believe provided a real opportunity to have the restoration work completed and the commemorative centre open in time for the centenary of the Rising in 2016. However, to ensure the long-term future of the national monument, I have secured the approval of the Government for it to be acquired by the State. This will bring the national monument into public ownership and secure its long-term future. It will also facilitate the safeguarding and restoration of the buildings and the development of the proposed 1916 commemorative centre to be run as a public facility.
My Department and the other parties involved are working to bring these matters forward as speedily as possible and I will be reverting to Government in the coming weeks with final proposals in this regard.
As the Minister will be aware, I have been calling on this Government for many years now to guarantee protection of the national monument, No. 14-17 Moore Street. I welcome the active steps pursued by the Minister in terms of its preservation by way of purchase of the buildings. All of those who have campaigned tirelessly for preservation of the full area will continue to insist that this be guaranteed. Can the Minister give that guarantee? The recent vote by Dublin City Council to prevent a land swap deal with the developers, Chartered Land, was a key step in ensuring its protection.
Nos. 14-17 Moore Street was the last headquarters of the provisional Government of the Irish Republic in 1916. Can the Minister guarantee that the surrounding battlefield site will be preserved in a way that is authentic and true to the area's history and character? The national monument will now be in the ownership of the State. This is to be welcomed. However, further details on its development are needed. Can the Minister outline what restoration plans are in place and confirm if any of the project be delivered by 2016?
I can give a guarantee that Nos. 14-17 Moore Street will be developed as a commemorative centre to the 1916 leaders. There are some details remaining to be worked out and I have yet to bring a memo on the matter to Government. Work will commence as soon as possible.
On the remainder of the site, as I have said previously, it is outside of the national monument and is in private ownership. As such, it is not a matter for me. My responsibility is in respect of Nos. 14-17 Moore Street. This has now been secured into State ownership, which will protect its long-term future. It will be developed in a way that will ensure it is a lasting tribute to the 1916 leaders. It will also be a great addition in terms of the development in the GPO and the centre to be developed there. I believe both buildings will complement each other.
As Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Minister should look beyond Nos. 14-17 Moore Street. Perhaps she will detail how the purchase price was arrived at, confirm if a compulsory purchase order procedure was considered and verify the current status of the Chartered Land planning application to demolish the surrounding area. Will the national monument buildings be subject to an independent survey by suitably qualified experts, as recommended by Dublin City Council, and will the Minister confirm that, as Minister, she will extend protection to the other monuments in the area, as recommended in the Frank Myles report on Chartered Land?
On the area surrounding Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, a detailed battlefield assessment has already been carried out and I am satisfied with the quality and findings of that research. As part of the Minister's consideration of the consent application, the consent applicant, Chartered Land Limited, which owns the national monument site, was asked by the Department in January 2012 to commission an assessment of the wider battlefield, including a battlefield assessment and inspections and fabric investigations of an area incorporating the block formed by Moore Street, O'Rahilly Parade, Moore Lane and Henry Place, and some of the areas south of Henry Place extending back towards Henry Street. The report, research, inspections and investigations reinforced the primary status of Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, most notably due to the degree to which the pre-1916 physical fabric survives and continues to convey an authentic and legible historical sense of the place within which the final critical hours of the Rising took place and how these buildings stand in marked contrast to the degree to which the historic fabric within the wider urban landscape no longer survives. Unlike other adjacent properties, Nos. 14-17 Moore Street also retains significant and extensive internal 18th century elements, including staircases, partitions, plaster work, doors, floors, fittings and fixtures. The 18th century building form and profiles also survive, along with the physical evidence of the presence of the insurgents in the form of the openings in the walls between the houses.
3. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has sought and secured adequate funding to provide a package of compensation measures to farmers whose farms have been rendered valueless and whose livelihoods have been destroyed as a result of special protection area designations imposed by her Department in respect of the hen harrier; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16857/15]
Over the past few months it has come to light that farmers in so-called protected areas have had their payments cut, be they SPA, SAC or NHA payments. What is the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht doing in this regard and what compensation package is being put in place for farmers who have lost their single farm payments?
The designation of special protection areas, SPAs, is a legal obligation placed on all member states in the EU. In 2007, Ireland was found by the European Court of Justice to have failed to designate a sufficient number of SPAs. It is essential that, wherever possible, use is made of opportunities for co-funding from the EU in providing payments to farmers who own lands subject to such designations. Therefore, while my Department has the lead role in regard to the implementation of the EU habitats and birds directives, significant funding is provided through the rural development programme operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to assist farmers in meeting the requirements of the birds and habitats directives.
Participation in the basic payment scheme requires farmers to abide by the statutory requirements relating to special protection areas and special areas of conservation, collectively known as Natura 2000 sites. Additional funding is provided through the rural development programme. Agri-environment schemes, such as the new GLAS, have provided, and will provide, a range of supports, including payments, in respect of Natura 2000 sites, to tens of thousands of farmers.
I understand that there is to be a dedicated measure in GLAS for farmers in targeted areas who abide by a specific measure for the hen harrier.
A habitat enhancement scheme, known as the National Parks and Wildlife Service farm plan scheme, was available to farmers in hen harrier SPAs to undertake proactive measures for the species. These measures were not a condition of the designation, nor were they mandatory. For that reason, they are not considered to be compensation for the prevention of an activity or a development on the lands in question. Voluntary commitments were entered into by 377 landowners under the farm plan scheme, covering over 9,000 ha. I am advised that 42 farm plans are still active.
The designation of lands does not mean that the lands are subject to blanket restrictions, although they must be managed appropriately. This requirement means that certain State-funded grant schemes must be operated with due care where they may affect such lands and they cannot be considered an automatic entitlement of the landowner.
Whoever wrote that response does not understand what is going on around Ireland. When land is designated, people almost have to emigrate from the area because they cannot make a drain or plant the land if they are going to abide by these so-called laws. People are being forced out. In Ireland, if something is seen on someone's land, what was seen or the person who owns the land will survive before the designation but both will not survive after it. The rural development plan is available to people in counties Meath, Kildare or Cork with no land designated. It is disingenuous to mislead people. They will get the same rate if they are considered under different criteria, which people can choose to do. Let us not mislead people. The Minister said there are 42 plans involving the hen harrier. Is there a scheme?
I live on a farm and I understand farming. The scheme in place in my Department ceased in 2010 and 42 farmers are getting funding under it. The funding available for heritage purposes is not unlimited. We are trying to work with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and what we want to achieve is to strike a balance between protecting the environment and allowing farmers to farm. The farmers are custodians of the countryside and carry out great work in protecting our environment but we must work together on this.
With regard to the rural development scheme, we should deal with the issues through co-funding, which is to the appropriate mechanism. Through the rural development plan, we can deal with these issues. In the GLAS and GLAS plus schemes, farmers who have been designated will get priority.
Since 2010, there has been no scheme in the Department. There is no scheme at the moment. It is suggested that farmers in designated areas get priority but if I sow wild bird cover I can get priority. If I have the best land in Ireland, even if it is not designated, I will get priority. Let us not spin this to people that they are special and lead them astray. Organic farmers with a designation get priority. It is dangerous to mislead people to think they are a special category and will be compensated in this way. If I have land that is not designated but I am in the organic sector, I get the same status and priority as if I cannot farm the land in counties Cork and Kerry, along the west coast or wherever there is a designation.
There is no good looking to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In the past seven to 12 years, the Department has designated people's private property and has run behind the hills, leaving farmers with single farm payments that are now being blocked.
The designation was put in place a considerable number of years ago. Ireland was faced with multi-million euro fines and the likelihood of daily fines if we did not do something about the designations.
It is because of civil servants.
These are EU directives and we have gone through this before. We are where we are and we must deal with it. My Department is working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and it is clear that these farmers will get priority under the GLAS scheme. There was a scheme in my Department but, under the GLAS scheme, many more farmers with lands designated will be able to avail of it. My Department is working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and we must strike the right balance so that farmers can continue to farm and the environment can be protected.
Three weeks ago, in Athlone, I met senior people from the Minister's Department but they have not liaised with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. If I have land that is not designated and I am involved in organic farming, I get the same priority as if all my land is designated. I know the Minister is from a farming background and most of us understand the scenario. If we draw a straight line from Cork to Donegal and consider the designations in that area, we are driving families out of their farms because of lunacy and rules imposed on people. These designations have been brought in by civil servants, not by the farmers. The farmers did not write to the Minister looking for them. Family farms and families are being driven out by rules and regulations that need to be addressed.
Staff in the Department are in direct contact with colleagues in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure the rules protect the habitat and species and the income of farmers who farmed the land. The issue is being dealt with. I assure the Deputy of that.
4. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Michael P. Kitt den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta chun a fhiafraí den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil sí ag lorg tairiscintí maidir le seirbhísí aeir go dtí Oileáin Árann, an mbeidh an leibhéal céanna seirbhísí ann agus atá ann faoi láthair; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [16944/15]
An bhfuil an tAire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta ag lorg tairiscintí maidir le seirbhísí aeir go dtí Oileáin Árann, an mbeidh an leibhéal céanna seirbhísí ann agus atá ann faoi láthair, cén dul chun cinn atá déanta aici, agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh?
Is féidir liom a dheimhniú don Teachta go bhfuil mo Roinn ag lorg tairiscintí faoi láthair do sheirbhís aeir d’Oileáin Árann don tréimhse ón 1 Deireadh Fómhair 2015 go dtí an 30 Meán Fómhair 2019. Mar atá i gceist faoin chonradh reatha, tá bunleibhéal seirbhíse iarrtha don chonradh úr. Faoin iarratas ar thairiscintí, tá íosleibhéal seirbhíse in aghaidh na seachtaine i gceist, is é sin dhá eitilt fillte in aghaidh an lae, seacht lá na seachtaine, móide seirbhís iompair bóthair chun freastal ar na heitiltí sin. Mar atá i gceist faoin chonradh reatha, ní bheidh bac ar an chuideachta ar a mbronnfar an conradh níos mó seirbhísí ná an t-íosleibhéal sin a chur ar fáil.
Mar is eol don Teachta, i gcomhréir le Rialacháin an Aontais Eorpaigh, rinneadh athbhreithniú anuraidh ar riachtanas na seirbhíse aeir. Cuireadh tuarascáil chuimsitheach faoi bhráid mo Roinne a chlúdaigh an tréimhse ó 2003 go 2013. Rinneadh measúnú sa tuarascáil ar leibhéal agus ar threocht na gcostas don tseirbhís aeir agus ar an chomhréireacht idir an oibleagáid seirbhíse poiblí agus riachtanais forbartha eacnamaíochta an réigiúin.
I measc nithe eile, léiríodh sa tuarascáil go raibh caiteachas bliantúil mo Roinne ar an tseirbhís aeir tar éis méadú faoi 136% le linn na tréimhse athbhreithnithe ó €800,000 in 2003 go €1.9 milliún in 2013, cé gur fhan líon na bpaisinéirí mórán mar a chéile le linn na tréimhse ag thart ar 40,000 paisinéir in aghaidh na bliana. Dá bhrí sin, dúradh sa tuarascáil go raibh sé riachtanach breathnú ar roghanna éagsúla chun luach ar airgead níos fearr a fháil don Státchiste. Is sa chomhthéacs sin a d'ullmhaigh mo Roinn, i gcomhar leis an Oifig um Sholáthar Rialtais, an t-iarratas ar thairiscintí a foilsíodh le déanaí. Tá spriocdháta den 8 Meitheamh 2015 ag tairgeoirí seirbhísí aeir chun tairiscintí a dhéanamh.
Tá imní agus míshásamh ar mhuintir Oileáin Árann de bharr an chonartha chun seirbhís aeir a chur ar fáil d'Oileáin Árann. Tá an tseirbhís seo an-tábhachtach. An mbeidh an tAire Stáit sásta an conradh seo a tharraingt siar agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas faoi sin? Tá ceisteanna ag na Teachtaí Éamon Ó Cuív agus Seán Kyne ar an ábhar seo freisin agus bhí caint air ar chlár Vincent Browne seachtain ó shin. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go mbeidh an tseirbhís ar an chaighdeán céanna agus a bhí sí cheana maidir le minicíocht na seirbhíse agus costais do na hoileánaigh. Tá an costas sin an-tábhachtach. Cén leibhéal seirbhíse atá i gceist? Cén suim atá ann chun an tseirbhís sin a choinneáil? Is dócha go bhfuil an tAire Stáit ag iarraidh daoine a fháil chun an tseirbhís sin a chur ar fáil.
Aontaím gurb é an rud is tábhachtaí ná an ceangal idir an mórthír agus Oileáin Árann. Bhí na Teachtaí Derek Nolan agus Seán Kyne i dteagmháil liom agus d'ardaigh comhghleacaí an Teachta Kitt, an Teachta Éamon Ó Cuív, an cheist le déanaí freisin. Is léir go bhfuil próiseas foirmiúil agus próiseas beo ar siúl faoi láthair. Beidh toradh againn ar an 8 Meitheamh. Níor mhaith liom cur isteach ar an phróiseas. Ní bheadh sé sin ceart. Muna bhfuil fadhb i ndiaidh an phróisis, b'fhéidir go mbeidh seans ann do mo Roinn obair le mo chomhghleacaithe agus muintir na háite, ach tá próiseas ar siúl faoi láthair. Rinne an comhlacht EY athbhreithniú maidir le rialacháin an Aontais Eorpaigh agus cuireadh tuarascáil chuimsitheach faoi bhráid mo Roinne anuraidh. Táim tiomanta do mhuintir na n-oileán agus don tseirbhís aeir sna blianta atá romhainn.
Tá an tAire Stáit ag caint mar gheall ar dhátaí, mhíonna, bhlianta, athbhreithniú agus an Eoraip. Tá sé ag caint faoi gach rud ach amháin an cheist a chuir mé air maidir le seirbhís fadtéarmach. Ní gá bheith ag rá liom go mbeidh sé ann ar feadh bliana eile. Caithfimid a bheith cinnte go mbeidh seirbhís ann d'Oileáin Árann san fhadtéarma, do na hoileánaigh sa chéad dul síos, ach tá cúrsaí turasóireachta an-tábhachtach freisin. Sna míonna atá ag teacht, beidh níos mó daoine ag taisteal go dtí na hOileáin Árann. Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil an tAire Stáit ag éisteacht le muintir Oileáin Árann mar níl freagra á thabhairt domsa inniu. Baineann an cheist le cúrsaí sláinte agus oideachais freisin. Braitheann na rudaí sin go léir ar thaisteal go dtí na hOileáin Árann. Céard a cheapann an tAire Stáit faoin suim atá ann chun an tseirbhís aeir sin a chur ar fáil?
Táim ag éisteacht agus táim ag obair go dian ar an cheist seo. Bhí cruinniú ag na Teachtaí Derek Nolan agus Seán Kyne le hoifigigh i mo Roinn Dé hAoine seo a chuaigh thart. Níl mo thiomantas i gceist maidir leis an ábhar seo. D'ardaigh an Teachta Kitt ceisteanna sláinte, oideachais, gnó agus turasóireachta. Tá siad sin iontach tábhachtach agus tá an tiomantas ann i ndiaidh an phróisis fosta, ó 2015 go 2019, le haghaidh ceithre bliana. Tá an tiomantas ann faoi choinne an cheangail idir an mórthír agus Oileáin Árann ach tá an próiseas foirmiúil fós ar siúl agus níor mhaith liom, mar Aire Stáit a bhfuil freagracht speisialta air maidir leis an Ghaeltacht, cur isteach ar an phróiseas sin. Muna bhfuil fadhbanna nó ceisteanna eile i gceist i ndiaidh an 8 Meitheamh, b'fhéidir go mbeidh seans ann obair le chéile ar an cheist seo. Is léir go bhfuil próiseas beo foirmiúil ar siúl faoi láthair agus níor mhaith liom cur isteach air.
Is é an Teachta McHugh an tAire Stáit ag deireadh an lae.
Agus tá próiseas ann.
The Deputy is not present for Ceist Uimh. 5, so we will move on to Question No. 6.
