Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:1 Mr. Quinn asked the Taoiseach the membership of the Millennium Committee; the number of times it has met; its goals and objectives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15836/99]
Ceisteanna–Questions. - Millennium Committee.
The National Millennium Committee comprises the following members: Deputy Séamus Brennan, Government Chief Whip and Minister of State – Chair; Mr. Richard Holland, principal officer, Department of the Taoiseach; Mr. Peter Barry, former Minister; Mr. Lochlann Quinn, chairman, AIB Group; Mr. Howard Kilroy, Governor, Bank of Ireland Group; Ms Eithne Healy, Chairman, Dublin Theatre Festival; Ms Deirdre Purcell, Journalist/ Author; Ms Patricia O'Donovan, Deputy General Secretary, ICTU; Ms Monica McWilliams, Northern Ireland Women's Coalition; Mr. Derek Keogh, Chairman, Millennium Festivals Limited; Mr. Brian Murphy, Chairman, Office of Public Works; Mr. Paul McGuinness, Manager, U2; Mr. Ronan Keating, Boyzone; Mr. Joe Barry, former Director-General, RTE.
The National Millennium Committee was established to examine and make recommendations on projects of national significance which could be included in the Government's millennium programme. This programme covers the period 1999 and 2000.
The committee was also asked to recommend a system for supporting millennium projects at local and community level. In this regard the £2 million Millennium Recognition Awards initiative was recently announced and advertised in the national newspapers.
On its establishment at the end of last year, the Millennium Committee agreed to a schedule of meetings for 1999. To date, it has met on nine occasions.
It is appropriate for me to acknowledge an interest in that my brother is one of the members of the Millennium Committee. That said, have any recommendations been made by the committee and will there be tangible results before the millennium arrives?
Yes, the committee made four recommendations to the Government which have been approved and a further nine or ten recommendations are awaiting Government consideration. Those approved by the Government are as follows: £1 million to Millennium Festivals Limited; £2 million to the millennium community awards, for local initiatives with maximum funding of £75,000 per project, which is being administered by ADM on behalf of the committee; £2 million to Míle Átha Cliath for its board work and Liffey lights project – the lighting of the bridges under the Liffey; £80,000 for the millennium book – the Deirdre Purcell project to have students in schools around the country write articles about the millennium and have them placed in the National Library. That comes to £5,080,000. The matching funding is approximately £9 million which comes from other sources, not from the millennium committee. As well as that there are eight or nine projects: the Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester, the Banks of the Lee project, Cork Opera House, Share Cork, Gaiety Theatre, the Municipal Gallery, the Green Town 2000, Millennium Last Lights Ceremony, Ecumenical Service, RTE Educational CD-ROM and the Irish Landmark Trust. Those projects, if approved by Government, would amount to about £4.6 million. The matching spending on those from non-millennium committee sources is £24 million. Overall the committee has committed itself, subject to Government approval, to £9.7 million. That has levered out additional matching spending of £33 million.
Is the £33 million matching funding coming from lottery or other public sources or is it a mixture of public and private funding? If the Minister of State has that information perhaps he will give the breakdown. On the possible projects that are being considered as distinct from those already announced and agreed, is the Minister of State in a position to outline what he expects will be the end result? What tangible artefacts and events will have been agreed between now and the end of the year when the millennium commences six months and a day from now, other than the parties and the celebratory events which by their nature will be very intangible although they may have a hangover effect?
The Deputy's first question was about matching funds. The matching funds for the Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester will come from the UK lottery, the UK millennium funds, the UK Government and the city council in Manchester. The matching funds for the Banks of the Lee will come from Cork Cor poration. The matching funds for the Cork Opera House will come from some trust money which the Cork Opera House has available to it, although I am not certain about the full breakdown. A substantial part of the £3 million matching funds for the Share Project in Cork will come from Cork Corporation and private sources. In respect of the Gaiety Theatre an additional £1.07 million will come from private sources. Funding for the Municipal Gallery, the Francis Bacon studio, will also come from private sources. In respect of the Irish Landmark Trust an additional £600,000 will come from the trust itself which is collected separately by the trust from its other activities. The additional £4 million for the Millennium Festivals Limited would have come from the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation and in regard to Míle Átha Cliath for the Lights on the Bridges the additional £5 million would have come from Dublin Corporation, Míle Átha Cliath having collected some funds from the private sector but not a significant amount.
In regard to the tangible effects, the committee takes the view that its brief is not to organise end of year parties. Its role is to have a more reflective, meaningful and deeper appreciation of what the millennium is about. It is about the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ. It is a Christian commemoration. The people are well able to enjoy themselves on new year's eve without the necessity for Government expenditure.
We have confined ourselves to consider a range of tangible projects of which we can be proud. For example, with regard to the children's hour, we have asked everybody to donate the last hour of their income to the children's fund. While it is a voluntary matter, we have agreed to make that request and to facilitate it in the public service. It should raise a number of millions of pounds for children's causes.
It is unlikely all the projects will be completed before the end of the year. The Deputy asked if tangible items, such as buildings, would be completed by 31 December. That is unlikely. Most such projects will run on well into the middle of 2000. The committee elected to consider themes concerned with the environment, recognition and celebration. There are 568 proposals before the committee. Some 121 have been declined, 152 have been sent to ADM for local consideration and a further 296 are currently being processed.
The millennium recognition awards scheme will be tangible by the end of the year. Under the scheme any local community can apply for an award of up to £75,000 and we expect a few hundred different awards to be granted in that category. The Board Walk and Liffey Lights of Míle Átha Cliath will also take place by the end of the year.
The Last Lights Ceremony is being worked on at present. It should reflect the tone of what we are trying to bring to the millennium. It will commence at 4.30 p.m. on new year's eve and people will be able to bring their families. We hope it will take place in every village and town in the country. It will be a poignant, reflective, peaceful and ecumenical ceremony. It will be the committee's main proposal for new year's eve and its purpose is to bid farewell to the last light of the century.
The Bank of Ireland Group has put up £10 million and launched a scholars' trust in which it will award 600 scholarships over a period. We have talked to the bank about it. The project has been launched and invitations are being sought from students.
Many of the projects are already in progress. The book has been opened and will be finished by the end of the year. We have had meetings with the churches. Subject to the appropriate mechanisms, the President has kindly agreed to address a joint sitting of the Dáil and Seanad on 16 December on the subject of the millennium. It is the last date on which the Dáil and Seanad will sit for the century. RTE has 60 hours of programmes planned between 1 September and sometime early in the new year.
I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive information he has provided the House. Given that not many Members are in attendance, perhaps he would advise all Members what is being done with taxpayers' money, which has been voted by the House, either directly or indirectly. The bulk of the £33 million, with the exception of British lottery moneys, is, by and large, being provided by other voted moneys in the House. It would be good to know how it is being spent. Has Mr. Paddy Duffy's post on the committee been filled by another nominee?
Starting, I hope, at the end of July, we will be publishing a regular newsletter which will be widely distributed. I will immediately communicate the information I have outlined to Members of both Houses. We wanted to establish many of the projects before circulating information on them, but we will now proceed to do that. There is no proposal to replace Paddy Duffy's position on the committee.
Arising out of the recent controversy relating to Mr. Duffy, it transpires he was an ex-officio member of the committee.The membership of the committee comprises people with substantial declared interests. Is there a procedure whereby people absent themselves if there is a conflict of interest, such as their bank or business supporting a particular project, to ensure there is fair play?
With regard to ex-officio membership, Mr. Duffy was not a member of the committee from the date of its last meeting or perhaps a number of days before that. The other ex-officio member is Mr. Richard Holland, principal officer at the Department of the Taoiseach.
In regard to interests, I made it very clear at our first meeting, and reinforced it again recently, that they should be declared. Regularly, at the start of meetings, committee members make it clear that they have an interest in, or are directors of, companies involved in certain projects because they come largely from the private sector and I have been adamant that they make the committee aware of anything in which they have an interest. They have been excellent about that. They have done it openly without having to be prodded unnecessarily by me. It is an essential part of the process and I intend to make sure they stick rigorously to it.
With regard to the enduring contribution the committee hopes to leave in terms of our cultural formation, has there been any proposal for the extension of music education in the regions? What is the status, in terms of the different categories outlined by the Minister of State, of the proposal for the State to take responsibility for The Great Book of Ireland, which was produced some time ago on the initiative of Theo Dorgan and Poetry Ireland? What is the status of the proposal for the study of Celtic migration?
There are 568 proposals before the committee, many of which relate to music. The following is an approximate breakdown: 20 per cent of the proposals relate to arts and culture; 15 per cent relate to science, technology and innovation; 15 per cent have strong spiritual or religious elements; and 15 per cent relate to children and child care. The rest of the proposals involve a mixed bag of ideas. In terms of an enduring cultural legacy, almost 100 are related to the arts. I do not have the proposal on Celtic migration with me, but I recall a submission on it and I will check it for the Deputy.
With regard to music education in the regions, the PIANO report identified a line to the west of which there was no musical provision. While I support the general concept of a conservatoire, there was an opportunity to provide the basic institutional infrastructure for music education, identified by Dr. O'Connor in the PIANO report, particularly in the west.
The Minister of State did not mention the proposal regarding The Great Book of Ireland, which cost £1 million. I am involved in that proposal, but it is likely to go outside the country unless assistance is provided by the State. Another proposal, sponsored by Gaillimh Le Gaeilge and others, including the local authority in Galway, relates to Celtic consciousness, migrations, etc.. I am not asking for details from the Minister of State but I like to think the two specific proposals to which I referred are allied for consideration and, in particular, that it is not too late to consider filling in a missing provision on music education where there is none.
I invite Members to make proposals to the committee. We have tried to conduct our business in a non-political and dignified way to mark this important Christian commemoration. We have had many meetings with the churches and hope to meet local authorities shortly to ensure they can help out locally both during the millennium weekend and throughout the new millennium.
It is a humorous comment that we have not done this before, and few Members of the House will ever do it again. The celebration of the millennium is uncharted waters and the creation of precedents will not worry us. The committee has tried to ensure the millennium will be commemorated in a dignified way and will leave a legacy. It is hoped that some initiatives can be taken and some projects supported which will have a lasting and meaningful effect. The committee would welcome suggestions from Members.
How many of the 560 projects on the books of the committee directly involve the improvement and extension of the use of the Irish language in the next millennium? Does the Minister of State envisage a similar initiative in the Oireachtas to that in the Israeli Parliament which has set itself the task of improving the use of its national language over a number of years in the parliament? Will the committee give some thought to such an initiative in terms of the projects mentioned by the Minister of State? Perhaps such an initiative is already planned but was not mentioned.
I will ask the committee to consider the Deputy's suggestion. We met Bord na Gaeilge and discussed how the language could be included and recognised to a greater extent given its importance throughout the ages. We will have further discussions about that. I mentioned the Presidential address on 16 December. This may be a suitable occasion to ensure much more Irish is used in the House.
Given that this is the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, will the Minister of State tell the House how he intends to respond to the large number of postcards all Members of the House have received which urge that a particular Christian ethic should be applied to the millennium celebrations and monuments which may be provided? Although I am not among them, I respect that the vast majority of people in this country describe themselves as Christians. Will the Minister of State respond to this issue?
Will he ask the committee to consider providing a millennium hostel to deal with the continuing scandal of homeless people in this city and other towns as a counter-active measure to the expenditure of £23 million on a luxury mansion for some unknown purpose?
That is a separate matter.
It is not separate matter. I am seeking a millennium project for the homeless to counteract the expenditure of £23 million on a luxury mansion.
It would be a genuine project.
I sought suggestions and I will take the Deputy's point about a hostel on board. I will raise it with the committee at the next meeting. So far we have responded to proposals put to us. We will spend a few hours next week considering if other initiatives could be taken which have not been suggested to date. The Deputy's suggestion could fall into that category and I will ensure it is discussed.
Perhaps it could be called the Bethlehem hostel.
I will ensure it is discussed. It is a worthwhile suggestion. So far we have responded to ideas suggested to the committee and more than a third of the funds have been committed. We will now consider initiatives suggested by the committee itself. However, I will ensure that the Deputy's suggestion is considered.
I discussed the issue of a statue with the churches and local authorities and I asked them to outline their thinking on the matter to the committee. However, I would not advise the committee to embark on any type of religious project without the specific agreement and understanding of the relevant churches. To date, the matter is still under discussion.
What is the total cost of the proposed pillar in the sky monument which is due to be erected in Dublin?
Which monument?
The Deputy is referring to the spike in the dyke.
What relevance will that have to the millennium? Is it intended to double its height at the end of the next millennium?
That is a separate question.
The Deputy should not be worried about the end of the next millennium.
He will not be around.
That is not a project of the National Millennium Committee, it is a Dublin Corporation project. I understand it is being challenged in the courts by some citizens – I cannot recall whether the case is finished. It will make it easier to find Dublin.