Senator John Gilroy raised the issue of commemorations.

He is a terrible man.

Ireland 2016 is the Government's initiative to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising while reflecting on our achievements in the past 100 years and what we want to achieve in the next 100. It is based on five themes: celebrating our achievements, remembering our past, reconciling and respecting all traditions, presenting Ireland to the world and imagining our future. A great deal of work is under way led by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, who has established the Ireland 2016 project office within her Department, which is leading the engagement and planning elements of the programme. The Government has provided €22 million in 2015 for seven major flagship commemoration projects which will be completed by Easter 2016. They include the development of the permanent exhibition space and interpretative centre at the GPO; the renovation of Kilmainham courthouse to enhance the visitor experience at Kilmainham Gaol; the provision of a permanent visitor facility at Cathal Brugha Barracks for the military service pensions archive; the development of visitor facilities at Teach an Phiarsaigh at Rosmuc; the renovation works at Richmond Barracks; the development of a tenement museum in Dublin; and the restoration of the Kevin Barry Room in the National Concert Hall. These are all projects that will provide a permanent and lasting tribute to those who were involved in the 1916 Rising. People should remember what has been and what is being done on the issue of commemorations.

Tell John Bruton.