Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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195. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason her Department or any bodies under its aegis are not purchasing the final order of surrender by Pádraig Pearse in Easter 1916; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35650/16]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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196. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department has considered purchasing the original Pearse surrender letter on behalf of the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35653/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.

There exist a number of historically important original documents in the possession of the State written by Pádraig Pearse during the 1916 Rising and during his subsequent imprisonment. Following consultation with the relevant institutions under the aegis of my Department, it is a shared view that the amount being sought for this one letter – between €1m and €1.5m - was not justifiable in terms of expenditure of public monies and in the context of historical material already held.