On 1 January in Dublin Castle, there was an impressive flag-raising ceremony to start the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. An amazing array of launches and events is being held not just in Ireland, but also abroad, by a wide number of organisations. A number of restorations are ongoing, for example, Kilmainham court and Pearse's cottage.

It appears to me and others that this and previous Governments would have preferred it had the men and women involved been airlifted from the GPO to Richmond Barracks and Kilmainham Gaol, thereby bypassing Moore Street. However, they did not bypass it and it is part of the evacuation route. It was also witness to a number of events not just involving the leaders in Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, but the ordinary men and women who took part as well as citizens in Dublin.

Shaffrey Associates conducted a wider assessment of the 1916 battlefield as part of the ministerial consent to carry out work. I will cite parts of that assessment. The block exactly matches the terrace into which the majority of the GPO garrison escaped. The activities relating to the 1916 Rising that took place on Moore Street happened throughout the entire street, on adjacent lanes and within many of the buildings. The assessment specifically mentions buildings other than Nos. 14-17. Furthermore, Article 1 of the Venice Charter states: "The concept of a historic monument embraces not only the single architectural work but also the urban or rural setting." Article 6 states: "Wherever the traditional setting exists, it must be kept. No new construction, demolition or modification which would alter the relations of mass and colour must be allowed." To me, this means that the fabric of Moore Street and its area must be retained.

If one walked into Kilmainham Gaol or Pearse's cottage or if one went to Brú na Bóinne, one would immediately get a sense of what it was like to have been there at the time in question. This is what we could have at Moore Street. Last week or the week before, the Taoiseach launched a virtual reality tour of Easter 1916. I do not want that to form part of what we will do for Moore Street when we have the opportunity to retain the authenticity of Moore Street now. Westport House was withdrawn from NAMA. Under section 4.1.1 of the NAMA Act, that was possible for legitimate reasons in the public interest.

A question, please.

The Government had the power to designate Nos. 14-17 Moore Street as a national monument. Why was this designation not extended to the rest of the terrace? Why has the Taoiseach abandoned what he called the "laneways of history" and why are we leaving it to a vulture capitalist to look after the rest of the battlefield site?

Hear, hear.

I thank the Deputy. I looked at this myself quite a number of years ago. To put it mildly, the condition of the street and of the buildings on either side of what is a national monument was simply disgraceful. I have listened to all of the rows about the national monument, about what should or should not be done about it. For that reason, the Government purchased the national monument.

Only a bit of it.

This has dragged on for many years with so many different variations, given the fact that Dublin City Council, as the planning authority, has responsibility regarding applications that come before it for planning permission both in respect of Moore Street and the lanes of history at the back of O'Connell Street and so on.

In respect of the centenary commemorations for 2016, the Government decided to purchase this for a sum of €4 million and to restore this building in a proper, authentic and time-of-the-period fashion. As I understand it, the maps and other documents show clearly that buildings on either side were either non-existent or in a state of collapse before the Rising took place in 1916. The Deputy is right that this was the centre of the end of the evacuation process from the side door of the GPO, in that the several hundred who evacuated the building were not in a position to go up Moore Street because of gunfire from the top of the Rotunda.

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan knows that what the Government wants to do for the people here and for posterity is to take the buildings where the surrender was commissioned and preserve them as a national monument in respect of one of the first small countries to strike out for independence, politically and economically, at the start of the 20th century, but the Government does not own all of the streets and the buildings on either side of Nos. 14-17. The Government does own these buildings and the intention is to have these restored in a proper and fitting fashion. It is not just a case of the vulture capitalists, venture capitalists or capitalists doing what they like in respect of the remainder of the surrounding area. The responsibility for planning and for approval of that lies initially with Dublin City Council and beyond that, if there is an objection, with An Bord Pleanála, and that is independent of the process of government.

I thought it appropriate, to be honest with the Deputy, that, given what was happening and what was not happening, and nothing was happening, it was right that the Government should purchase this in the interests of the people, preserving it as a lasting exhibition centre and an authentic recreation of what was there in 1916 when those who led the Rising in the GPO said, "Let us decide to burrow through the houses to Nos. 14-17", from where the order was given for Nurse O'Farrell to take the note in respect of surrender.

It is not just this Government, but successive ones. When this Government did the right thing with part of the terrace, why could it not have gone further and done the right thing with the whole area? We also had this exchange in 2014, when the Taoiseach told me that commemorative events had to be inclusive, sensitive and appropriate.

I will go back two weeks on the subject of Nos. 14-17. The occupation should never have happened, but what occurred that Monday was disrespectful, undignified and insensitive to what happened in Nos. 14-17. It was cloak-and-dagger stuff and no conservation expert was on hand to oversee the work. Someone happened to arrive along and heard workers using claw hammers. I mean no disrespect to the workers, but they did not know where they were, what they were doing or the significance of the building.

The reports contain many mistakes. In one conservation report, No. 18's facade was singled out as being pre-1916. In another, this was omitted. Once something is destroyed, it is gone forever. There are examples of this.

So far, the taxpayer has paid €9 million: €4 million to buy and €5 million designated for Nos. 14-17. Whose plan are we following? It does not appear to be the State's plan, but the plan that was drawn up by the same failed property developer that wanted to build over, under and around the national monument.

I have just been at a meeting in city hall with the Moore Street forum. Dublin City Council was represented. It claims that the Minister has responsibility but the Taoiseach claims that Dublin City Council has responsibility. A motion was passed by Dublin City Council on 11 January.

That motion must be taken into consideration by the Government. Since the Government is passing it in one way and Dublin City Council in another, there is a need for all the stakeholders to come together at the same time so these matters can be addressed. The Government must take the lead on this. Time is very much running out.

I agree with Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan that this has dragged on for years and years and that there was never an agreed solution to the issue. That is why I believed it appropriate that the Government should acquire Nos. 14 to 17 for the Irish public, including the diaspora. That is why a purchase price was agreed and a sum was provided for the proper restoration of the building.

What I should do for the Deputy is to arrange for her to meet the experts from the Office of Public Works who showed me the plans for what they intend to do with the buildings, in a sensitive manner, internally and externally. As somebody who has an interest in the place, the Deputy should understand this. It is not the case that people who were passing by were suddenly working on Nos. 14 to 17. The work is based on a very specific and sensitive plan. There are some elements inside the buildings that are genuinely authentic and that can be restored or reproduced to give a feeling for the colours and materials that were evident in the houses. There are other elements that are not in this category. I can arrange the meeting for the Deputy so that she may see for herself the professionalism of the proposal. Perhaps she does not agree with me. Believe me, it is not a case of a subcontractor moving in and saying he believes we should do this or that. The proposal is based on a very sophisticated and detailed analysis of the work to be carried out on Nos. 14 to 17. The evidence will also be produced for the Deputy in respect of the buildings on either side. Effectively, she is claiming the State should have purchased all of Moore Street up as far as the Rotunda-----

Yes.

-----where The O'Rahilly was killed and so on. Obviously, the State purchased the central portion for the people. Interminably, over the years, Dublin City Council has had rows about this. Deputy Adams's own party was no great help, if I might say so, in the middle of all those discussions. Dublin City Council has a responsibility. If it wishes to set out a planning process or a plan and design that will retain the "lanes of history," as they are called, that is its responsibility. It has the authority to do that. The State, on behalf of the people, is now spending up to €9 million on the purchase, restoration, renovation and presentation of Nos. 14 to 17 in a proper and fitting manner. I will arrange the meeting for Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan.

A shopping mall.