Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Patrick O'Donovan (FG), Limerick County

The Deputy has already insulted me. By the way, my parents lived next door to Michael Hartnett. I know him and his legacy quite well.
There are two methods by which properties are acquired by the State. One is through the local authority. The Deputy is a former member of Dublin City Council. The other method is through the Office of Public Works. I mentioned this issue last night to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran. There is no provision for my Department to acquire properties. The Deputy and I know that. There is no methodology by which my Department can acquire properties. There are mechanisms for my Department to support properties that are either in the charge and ownership of local authorities or in voluntary and community groups. Any organisation that is in the charge of a local authority, voluntary group or charity can come to my Department.
The Deputy is right that we have plans for 2026 around arts centres. They will be properties that are not owned by the national cultural institutions. They will not be eligible to apply. The Deputy might reflect on her comment. I hope she comes back in a second time. I think an awful lot of people in Dublin and I regret she has made such a comment. Perhaps she would like to come back in.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11