Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)

I support this motion as it raises important points regarding the manner in which the cultural heritage sector is coming under pressure from the cuts that are being imposed. It will be argued by some that museums and other cultural infrastructure are in some way luxuries that we cannot afford to support to the same extent during an economic downturn. Some would even argue that they perhaps should not be supported at all. If that were the case, culture would revert to becoming once again the preserve of the wealthy who can afford to buy cultural artefacts. In fairness, Dublin and other cities are witness to the fact that wealthy people such as the Carnegies were willing to spend considerable amounts of money providing libraries and other facilities to people who would otherwise not have been able to afford books or to pay to see paintings or historical material. It is, therefore, essential for a variety of reasons that funding for the cultural heritage sector is maintained.

I will address the issue of the proposed merger of the three art museums and galleries, of the National Archives and the Irish Manuscripts Commission and of the National Library with the National Museum. Despite the reasons that have been given, and will no doubt be offered again this evening, the mergers are purely designed to save money. They will also, in the opinion of those most familiar with the institutions concerned, have a malign impact on them. The National Library and the National Archives play a crucial role in historical and other research in this country. Their ability to provide that service has already been restricted by cutbacks which have affected staffing levels and, consequently, access by the public to the materials under their care. Subjecting them to cost cutting mergers will further exacerbate the damage that has been done. While that might appear to be a minor issue in comparison to the overall impact of the austerity programme, restricting access to research material will have a damaging affect on the level of university work and, indeed, on the production of new historical and other research by people who use the National Archives and the National Library. I second the call in the motion to reject the proposed mergers.

The motion also refers to the not insignificant economic impact of the arts sector and the large number of jobs which are dependent upon it. That is something that could be expanded. Cultural tourism is a growing area and one that is still under-developed in this country. We could also take a leaf from the book of the American New Dealers of the 1930s who invested considerable resources in developing the American cultural heritage through the collection of folk music and so on. There are many areas of our cultural heritage, including cultural sites and source materials, that remain under-developed and under-researched. Investing money in doing that would not only enrich our cultural resources, but would also create jobs directly, boost cultural tourism and contribute to creating other jobs.

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