I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 20, inclusive, and 23 together.
Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street are the subject of a Preservation Order under the National Monuments Acts. The effect of the Preservation Order is that any works affecting these properties require my consent, as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, under section 14 of the National Monuments Act 1930, as amended. The landowner's application to my Department for consent to proposals that envisage the retention of the buildings and the provision of a commemorative centre to the 1916 Rising is being examined. In that context, I have visited the site and met various interest groups, including relatives of the 1916 Leaders.
As part of the consent process, in accordance with the European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment of Proposed Demolition of National Monuments) Regulations 2012, which I made last week, the consent applicant has been asked by my Department to submit an environmental impact statement in relation to any elements of the proposal that would involve demolition works. The Regulations introduce new provisions into the National Monuments Acts to provide for the carrying out of an environmental impact assessment in relation to any works to a national monument requiring my consent under those Acts that involve an element of demolition. Following receipt of the environmental impact statement, and having completed the prescribed consultation procedures, I will undertake a formal environmental impact assessment before making a decision on the consent application.
Any wider plans for the development of the Moore Street area would be a matter for the relevant landowners and the development authority, Dublin City Council. I have no statutory function in relation to the operations of the National Assets Management Agency.