I propose to take Questions Nos. 785, 789 and 792 together.
In January 2007, my predecessor as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government placed a Preservation Order on nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street under the National Monuments Acts. The Preservation Order was made on the grounds that the buildings, which are privately owned, are a monument, the preservation of which is of national importance by reason of its historical importance as the final headquarters of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. My role as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is to protect the monument, under that Order, from any danger of being destroyed, injured or removed. In that regard any works affecting the monument require my prior consent under the National Monuments Acts.
I understand that the building where recent works took place to remove the upper storey on safety grounds is located at the corner of Henry Place and Moore Lane. The building is outside the area encompassed by the Preservation Order on nos. 14 to 17 Moore St. and there was, accordingly, no requirement for Ministerial consent to be obtained for the works. An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for development on the site that includes the Moore St. monument. This permission does not supersede the Preservation Order already in place and my consent will still be required for any development works that may affect the buildings covered by the Preservation Order. I fully appreciate the historical significance of these buildings as the site of the last military actions of the 1916 Rising leaders and the appropriateness of any proposed works will be carefully examined against that historical background if a works related consent application is submitted.