asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider purchasing a cinema in Dublin (name supplied) for use as a second concert hall.

11.

asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider the use of the Rotunda as a site for a concert hall; and if he will make a general policy statement on the matter of the proposed concert hall.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together.

Consideration has been given to the possibility of using the cinema in question as a concert hall. As a cinema, the Rotunda building seats 1,100 but as a concert hall it could not accommodate more than about 600 and that could only be done by means of considerable adaptation. It would not provide anything like the amount of ancillary space that would be needed for the orchestra and for patrons. It is, therefore not proposed to acquire it for use as a concert hall.

The design for the provision of a concert hall at Earlsfort Terrace is well advanced and tenders for the building work will be invited towards the end of this year. The Great Hall which is being redesigned as an auditorium contains all the basic characteristics for first-class acoustic conditions for orchestral music. This great potential is being fully exploited in the design. The auditorium will provide seating for more than 1,200 people and there will be adequate facilities for the public and for the orchestra.

How many seats did the Parliamentary Secretary say the cinema would be restricted to?

600.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary tell the House who owns the Rotunda? If the answer to that is that it is in private hands that would be a matter for private enterprise. Can the Parliamentary Secretary, in relation to the abandonment of the Rotunda as a cinema, tell us if there are any other plans for its future utilisation?

There are no other plans as far as the Government are concerned.

What plans are there for the future of the Rotunda?

That is an entirely separate question. It does not come within my scope. We will examine the feasibility of it.

I understand the import of the Parliamentary Secretary's reply. Can he tell us who owns the Rotunda?

I shall make inquiries for the Deputy and I shall pass on the information to him.

Has the Parliamentary Secretary not got it in his brief?

I have not got it in my file.

In relation to the Earlsfort Terrace project is the Parliamentary Secretary satisfied, from the point of view of situation, that Earlsfort Terrace is satisfactory for a national concert hall? Is there sufficient space around it to provide all the amenities, facilities and parking that are necessary in that context? Did I understand him to say that plans are advanced or to use some phrase to that effect? Could he give us any indication when the anticipated construction might commence?

I could not but I know that tenders will be looked for later on this year.

What about my other question about the surrounding area?

I presume all that will be gone into thoroughly. If the Deputy would like to see the plans I can let him see them as we would like to help him.

How many people will the Earlsfort Terrace complex accommodate?

One thousand two hundred.