National Monuments

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 May 2012

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Ceisteanna (78, 79, 80)

Mary Lou McDonald

Ceist:

134 Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will commission an independent battlefield site assessment of the GPO and Moore Street, Dublin. [21412/12]

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

140 Deputy Willie O’Dea asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he has given further consideration to making any decision regarding the approval to build on the historic site of 14/17 Moore Street, Dublin, pending an independent battlefield assessment as recommended by the director of the National Museum; if he will meet the Save Moore Street group to discuss their proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21691/12]

Maureen O'Sullivan

Ceist:

144 Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the engagement there has been between Dublin City Council, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Governement and his Department regarding the issue of the Easter Rising site in the environs of Moore Street, Dublin 1; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the local authority may dispose of the last two houses they own at 24/25 to the developer at a price agreed quite some time ago and not bearing any relationship to the drop in value of property; the effect of this on the designated National Monument; and the role of the National Assets Management Agency in all these proceedings. [12922/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Jimmy Deenihan)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 140 and 144 together.

As Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, my role in relation to the national monument at Nos. 14 to 17 Moore St is to make a determination on the application by the owner for consent under the National Monuments Acts to proposed works to those buildings. I have no function in relation to the adjoining development site. As part of the consent application process, the applicant was required to provide an assessment of the wider battlefield context of the national monument site. This has been received and is being examined. Also as part of the consent process, I have visited the monument site and met various representative groups, including the group referred to. A decision will be made on the consent application as soon as possible. I would like to point out that I have no function in relation to the National Asset Management Agency.

Question No. 135 answered with Question No. 109.