Bhí clár ar TG4 aréir, clár a leirigh scannal mór sa chathair seo. I do not know if the Minister saw the documentary last night but it lifted the lid on what must surely be one of the worst ever planning scandals in this city or the country. The documentary, "Iniúchadh - Oidhreacht na Cásca", has exposed a record of skullduggery and secret dealings between the management of Dublin City Council and developers who want to demolish what is now the national monument on Moore Street and develop a monstrous shopping mall on O'Connell Street.

Is the Minister aware that these backroom deals involved gross misuse of the compulsory purchase order process to the advantage of one developer, Chartered Land, which at the time was not even the registered owner of the lands in question? Will the Government call for full disclosure from Dublin City Council management about all these matters, including full texts of the secret agreements? Will the Minister and the Government call a halt to this scandalous episode?

The vandalism of the site which developers propose to pursue cannot go ahead without the permission of the Minister, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan. He has had this matter on his desk for some months and he can refuse to give the go-ahead to Chartered Land to build on and encroach upon any part of the national monument, the historic last meeting place of the 1916 leaders on Moore Street.

In addition to seeking full disclosure from Dublin City Council, will the Government this morning indicate that the envisaged development will cease and Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, the Minister in question, will refuse permission for it? Will the Government and this Dáil act to preserve, enhance and develop the national monument?

This week my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, launched the reform proposals for local government. These are the most dramatic initiatives of their kind since the formation of local government in 1898. Some commentators have said that this is a usurpation or diminution of powers, with one commentator stating that the Minister had become the undertaker of local government. I refute that.

I have not seen the television programme to which the Deputy referred and cannot comment on the detail but I suggest that the Deputy relay the matter to her colleagues on the city council. Sinn Féin councillors would no doubt share her concerns and I suspect other people on the council would do so also. The place to start an inquiry is with the elected members of Dublin City Council, who should hold the officials of Dublin City Council to account and get information on the issue. The idea that we should rush in on the basis of a television programme and step over the elected members of Dublin City Council is a denigration when I thought Sinn Féin supported local government.

That is an evasion if ever there was one. I do not accept that the Government can simply stand idly by when matters of this scandalous nature come into the public domain. The Minister is well aware that issues pertaining to the national monument have been the subject of widespread debate, including in this Dáil. The Government has a responsibility not just to the city of Dublin but to the entire country to ensure that the mindless vandalism of a national monument and historic site should not be allowed to proceed.

It is a matter of concern for the Government when the kind of shady dealings and very strange occurrences in the largest local authority in the State are laid bare not just in a documentary but in commentary. The city council has a responsibility in this but the Government is in charge and the matter is not localised; the preservation and development of Moore Street and the adjacent lanes beside the GPO is a matter of national concern. The Government has a responsibility to act. The matter is on the desk of Deputy Jimmy Deenihan. It is simple matter as he just has to give the word that the shopping mall development will not go ahead and the Government will undertake to acquire the site and develop it in an intelligent, thoughtful and appropriate way. It should give due regard to the women and men of 1916 and could prove to be a significant attraction and resource for Dublin.

Get off the pot.

I remind Members that when referring to members of the Government, they should refer to them as Minister for X, Y or Z.

Who is Minister X?

There are two issues. I did not see the television programme but the Deputy indicated there were very serious allegations of secret deals and agreements-----

Yes.

-----to the benefit of one developer over another. I am not sure as I have not seen the programme. The thrust of the Deputy's statement is that wrong practices, including secret deals, were undertaken between the city manager or officials acting on his behalf and a private developer. If that is the case, the first responsibility is with the local government, including the Deputy's party councillors.

The Government parties are in control of the council.

The Government is to close the town councils.

I suggest the Deputy raise the question in the first instance with the council. I will certainly raise it with the Labour Party councillors when I get a chance to see the television programme.

However, in regard to the national monument, I am well aware of the extent of the monument. I was taken on detailed and personal tour by James Connolly-Heron, the great-grandson of James Connolly, the founder of the Labour Party, which took a number of hours. I am very well aware of the issues involved. I am also very well aware of the responsibilities the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, has in regard to this matter. The Deputy is trying to link two things together which are not necessarily linked. The allegation of wrongdoing is a serious allegation made in the programme. The first responsibility we, as democrats, have is at local authority level. It has direct responsibility for the city manager and for what he is or is not doing. The Minister will make his decision in due course and I can assure the Deputy she will be more than happy with it.