431 Mr. McHugh asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position on the design competition for the proposed new national theatre; when documentation will be circulated to architectural practices who have expressed an interest in taking part in the competition; the timescale for submission of entries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4676/07]

In July 2006, the Government decided to proceed with the redevelopment of the Abbey Theatre at George's Dock on a Build, Finance, and Maintain (BFM) basis. It also approved the holding of an international design competition for the new Abbey Theatre. Once a winning design has been selected the building will be procured by means of a Build/Finance/Maintain (BFM) Public Private Partnership.

The OPW is currently working on the technical specifications for the design competition, details of which will be available to interested parties when the competition is formally announced. A jury is being set up to select the winning design. The jury will have representatives from the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the OPW, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, the Arts Council and the Abbey. Once the design has been selected a competition will then be held to procure the construction of the project via PPP. A construction phase of approximately 18 months is envisaged once the PPP contract has been signed.