I propose to take Questions Nos. 429, 434, 435 and 445 to 447, inclusive, together.
On 16 July 2013 I made a determination under the National Monuments Acts in relation to a consent application and related Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the owners in relation to proposed works on the Moore Street national monument site. My decision on the consent application provided, inter alia, for the full repair and restoration of the monument buildings and the creation of a commemorative centre to honour the leaders of the 1916 Rising.
My Department has recently received confirmation from the National Asset Management Agency that it has approved funding for works covered by the consent I have given under the National Monuments Acts, subject to compliance with all statutory processes. The arrangements for the disbursement of the NAMA funding are a matter for the Agency itself.
The national monument is in private ownership and, accordingly, the advancement of proposals that reflect the terms of the consent I have granted is a matter for the owners. The consent is, however, conditional on a revised project design that takes full account of the terms of my decision being submitted for my approval within 9 months of the decision date. A further condition requires substantive works to commence on site within 3 months of the approval of the revised proposals.
There have been a number of meetings between my Department and the monument owners in the meantime to discuss and clarify various aspects of the 52 detailed conditions set out in the consent order with the intention of ensuring that the designs for the approved works are fully compliant with what I have prescribed. There have also been discussions in relation to the site investigations needed to determine the works that will be necessary to stabilise and underpin the monument buildings. As part of these investigations, the cellars under the yards to the rear of monument buildings, which I understand were in use until relatively recently, have been re-opened and are currently being cleared out.
My understanding is that the completed designs for the approved works will be submitted to me in the near future to verify that they are in compliance with the consent order. They will be assessed as quickly as possible on receipt to establish whether they conform to the terms of my decision on the consent application. The consultation procedures prescribed under the National Monuments Acts have already been completed in this case as part of the processing of the consent application and related Environmental Impact Assessment. No.18 Moore Street is outside the bounds of the Preservation Order in this case and my role in relation to that building is confined to ensuring that any works to it do not adversely impact on the adjacent national monument.
As the national monument is not in the ownership of the State, the practical arrangements for the proposed survey of the national monument buildings by the 1916 relatives’ representative group, which the monument owners have agreed to in principle, are matters for the group and the owners to agree. The arrangements for the management of the buildings once work is completed is primarily a matter for the owners.