Easter is at the end of this month and we are only three years away-----

Please.

We are only three years away from the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, not the 1916 Christmas rising, and yet the future of the last headquarters of the 1916 leaders in Moore Street, which is an iconic place in our history, is uncertain and still under threat from developers.

The Taoiseach is familiar with this part of the capital, with this historic quarter.

He has rightly described it as the laneways of history. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, has on his desk the plans of the developer, Chartered Land, to encroach on 60% of the national monument, 14-17 Moore Street, and to demolish the battlefield site and most of the lanes of history. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, to refuse to sign approval for Chartered Land's plans given that the company is now presenting modified plans that are subject to approval of a planning application which has not yet been submitted by Chartered Land? Is the Taoiseach aware that if ministerial approval is given at this stage, there is no guarantee that any such modifications will be made or that revised planning applications will be submitted subsequently and that this site, which has been grossly underdeveloped, will be lost forever?

We have discussed this matter in the past. Obviously everybody would like us to have appropriate centenary celebrations in 2016. A number of features in our capital city need to be attended to, including the military archives in Cathal Brugha Barracks, the courthouse in Kilmainham Gaol, the GPO itself and, as the Deputy mentioned, 14-17 Moore Street, which I have referred to as the lanes of history, right up as far as the Rotunda, or the site of the actual surrender on the pavement a short distance away from that.

The plans for the development of Moore Street were submitted prior to the construction crash. As has been pointed out on a number of occasions, this has actually allowed some more time for reflection on the best approach in this case. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is very interested in the matter as a citizen, never mind as a Minister. He is chairing the committee dealing with the appropriateness of the centenary celebrations. I know that a number of serious elements are involved in this. The Deputy can take my word for it that we are interested in seeing that Dublin, which was the centre of the 1916 Rising, would have a number of features decided upon to allow us to be in a position to commemorate those events appropriately in 2016.

I recently viewed a video of plans for Moore Street and the surrounding area and there are a number of elements attached to this, including Dublin City Council, the Minister, NAMA, developers, owners and so on. I am quite happy to work with the parties through the Minister and his committee to see that we do the right thing in the interests of having an appropriate centenary celebration in 2016. In the past I have had to advise people from abroad that the site of 14-17 Moore Street is not at the moment what one would expect if one were to go to look at the location where the first fledgling steps towards economic and political independence were taken. It is not the kind of place to which we can send people with pride at the moment. I hope we can deal with that in a sensitive, understanding and comprehensive fashion in the time ahead.

The sites the Taoiseach mentioned, such as the GPO or the military archives, are not under any threat. He knows his history as well as I do. When the British had an empire, brave men and women went out and proclaimed a republic. After days of fighting, they withdrew from the GPO and made their way into Moore Street. I cannot think of anywhere else in the world, whatever the complexion of the politics, where there would be such an iconic site in the state it is in at present. I believe it is evidence of the state we are in and is more evidence of the counter-revolution which followed 1916 than the actual revolution which was bravely proclaimed in the Proclamation.

I have met the relatives of the 1916 leaders, as I am sure has the Taoiseach. I met them as recently as last Thursday and I share their concerns. I have seen the very slick video produced by a developer who wants to produce a huge shopping mall in the capital city, which we do not need. The battlefield site would be destroyed as part of that. I would like the Taoiseach to use an Ulster expression and just say "No" to the developer. The site should be developed properly as an iconic 1916 revolutionary quarter of which we can be proud and in which the world would be interested.

Do I deduce from the Taoiseach's remarks that he will allow the commemorative committee the chance to discuss the Minister's proposals before he submits them to the Cabinet? If that is the case, it would be very positive. Two years ago the Taoiseach promised to meet the Save 16 Moore Street committee and to meet the relatives of the signatories group. I know he has been very busy but I cannot imagine the Taoiseach would not meet the families of Connolly, Pearse, MacDonagh, MacDermott and so on out of respect for what their loved ones who were executed at that time sacrificed for the people of this island. The Taoiseach should say "No" to the developer and say "Yes" to a battlefield site, say "Yes" to the commemorative committee looking into the Minister's proposals, and say "Yes" to a meeting with the relatives he promised two years ago.

I have no objection to meeting individual groups. It is a question of availability and time. Clearly the relatives of the 1916 personnel have a particular allegiance, understanding and tradition.

As we all have.

That is not an issue. When Deputy Adams asks me whether I am prepared to meet these people, the answer is "Yes", of course.

This is not an individual solo run by a Kerry man, although they are well able to do that. The Minister is charged with chairing the committee dealing with appropriate centenary celebrations and commemorations. In that sense, I believe the majority of Members of the House would like to see that this is done in the best way possible for the capital city of our country. I know the archives are not under threat, nor are Kilmainham Gaol, the courthouse or the GPO. However, they are part of all of that tradition. Would it not be wonderful if we could make arrangements both in terms of the availability of capital to do it and also the question of Moore Street and that locality? I have been down there on many occasions and viewed the location where the O'Rahilly was assassinated. There is considerable tourism potential for people from all over the world to come to a country which was one of the first small nations to achieve its independence in the early part of the previous century. This is an issue that concerns us all. I am quite sure the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, would be very happy to discuss his proposals - as should be so - even in here or certainly at a committee. I spoke to him about the matter last week because of the need to make preparations to see what we can do best for that period. I thank the Deputy for his question.

Will the Taoiseach still be in government?

I want him to understand it is a matter of interest for everybody. We can report progress to the House as needs be.