The year 2016 approaches and with it the commemoration of the Easter Rising. While we have many defining moments in our history, the Easter Rising is a particularly significant one. We have had a number of celebrations to date including the strike and Lock-out and Cumann na mBan, which have been very well organised and dignified. The events in store for the anniversaries of the outbreak of the First World War and the Howth gun running operation will also be well organised and dignified.

There were a number of venues used for the Easter Rising from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland at St. Stephen's Green to Mount Street Bridge etc. We can agree, however, that the GPO and Moore Street were absolutely vital. They are the place the Rising began and the venue that saw its end. There are great plans in place for the GPO but there are serious difficulties around Moore Street. There was a litany of errors in the past, starting with Dublin City Council right the way through. One of those errors might have seen the whole area obliterated in the late 1990s. That would also have seen the end of the significant street trading tradition in Moore Street. It was only due to the relatives who were able to campaign and bring about the preservation order in 2007 which led to the Minister being able to designate Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street as the commemorative centre and a national monument.

There are indications from a number of people that the developer's assessment of the site was inadequate and flawed. That has been proven by things that have been discovered since it was carried out. What is in store for the national monument is that it will be either dwarfed by a massive shopping centre or surrounded by a derelict site. Neither represents a dignified memorial to the men and women of the 1916 Rising. There are also concerns as to who will own, control and finance Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, with whom I have had this debate on many occasions, has said he has gone as far as he can on this. Regardless of who is in power in 2016, the onus and responsibility is on those in power now to ensure that the centenary celebration is dignified. As the Minister has gone as far as he can, I ask the Taoiseach to accede to the request from the relatives to meet them personally. The commemoration in 2016 requires the Taoiseach's leadership and direction at this stage.

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan has had a particular interest in the matter for quite some time and I thank her for her contribution. We are entering a decade of centenary commemorative events which must be inclusive, sensitive and appropriate. That is why the Minister, cross-party personnel and a number of professional historians are concerned to do this in a way which is authentic, fitting and appropriate, based not only on the revolution but on the direction of the country over the next 100 years. For that reason, the Government has made available substantial funding between now and the commemorations for the military archives at McKee Barracks, the restoration of Kilmainham Courthouse, the developments internally in the GPO, access to the Bank of Ireland on College Green and the preservation of Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street. I was down there myself on a number of occasions and it is not the kind of place in its current condition that one would wish to send people to view the location of the eventual surrender of the group from the GPO who sought safety there.

The Minister's responsibility and function is in respect of the national monument at Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street. He has some responsibility beyond its curtilage as to where the private property developments may impinge or impact on the foundations in the immediate vicinity. Dublin City Council also has an impact in terms of planning permission conditions etc.

On different occasions I met a number of relatives of those who had fought in the GPO and been involved in 1916, but I am not sure to which group the Deputy is referring. I am happy to engage with people. This is a centenary and it is important to get it as right as possible. This is our capital city and Ireland is recognised as one of the first small countries at the beginning of last century to achieve its independence. It is appropriate for those with responsibility in government to make arrangements to ensure the event is comprehensive, sensitive, appropriate and fitting at the commencement of a new century of progress for the people socially, economically, culturally and in other ways. Perhaps the Deputy might let me know the group about which she is talking and I will be happy to meet it with the Minister in due course to see how best we can proceed.

I thank the Taoiseach. I will be in touch with his office to set up the meeting as soon as possible. When he was director of the National Museum of Ireland, Dr. Pat Wallace made these points and it was his considered view that any consent should be mindful of the national historic importance of the Moore Street area, including its laneways and buildings. This was reiterated by the National Museum of Ireland recently when it saw the Moore Street theatre of conflict as the most important historic site in modern Irish history. This is borne out by the Imperial War Museum in London, the representatives of which said, "it is the only city-based 20th century battlefield to survive in all of Europe and possibly the world" and "historically, it is beyond price." It is also borne out by a recent exchange with the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, on legislation dealing with areas surrounding a place of architectural significance. We cannot leave it to a self-appointed private group to look after an area of extreme historical significance. If Deputy Enda Kenny is still Taoiseach in 2016, he will not want to be standing outside one part of the building and surrounded by a derelict site. When he meets relatives, I hope an independent review can be discussed. People are thinking about seeking a judicial review and we could end up with NAMA using State money to defend a developer. There are precedents for undertaking an independent review; we do not want Moore Street to become like Wood Quay when we lost so much of Viking Dublin.

We do not want to get lost in interminable discussions and rows between one sector and another. Work in the other areas mentioned is under way and will I hope be fully completed before 2016. When one exits the side door of the GPO, one can turn left, heading towards Moore Street. However, the gun in place at the Rotunda hospital meant that people leaving the GPO could not move towards Moore Street and The O'Rahilly was shot further up as he moved through the side buildings to 14 to 17 Moore Street. I do not have control over the planning application for anything outside the national monument, but I assume it is compatible with retaining some element of the lanes and the paths of history for those who may wish to travel the journey made by those who left the GPO and went as far as 14 to 17 Moore Street and beyond to the Rotunda hospital where the surrender took place on the footpath. I am happy to engage with people in so far as we can, but I cannot satisfy all demands. This is an issue that must be dealt with and not allowed to drag on interminably. Otherwise, 2016 and many other years will pass and the place will not have changed. We must do something about it and that involves making decisions which may not be fully acceptable to everyone. We must do the best we can in the interests of what happened. This is our capital city and part of our history. We want to build on it for new foundations for the future.