Mr. Michael Starrett:

To pick up on a number of the points the members raised, they said we are very positive. We have to be positive because if we did not stay positive, we would be negative. If we do not stay positive we do not make any progress. We will stand still and people will pass us by. Everyone is positive, but there are issues, not least of which is the one of capacity and resources, which I touched on earlier. In the past 20 years, the Heritage Council has shown what is possible within the sector through a new way of working and at community level. The opportunity that needs to be taken now is to get the State to invest fully in that as well as in what I spoke about, namely, the properties it owns. There is a real need to get that investment. We looked for approximately €2 million this year. We got €200,000. I know we will be working with the Department over the course of the coming years to try to address that again. As I remain positive, I never believe we could say we will stop trying to get an increase in resources. There is a lot going on behind the scenes.

The legislative priorities are very relevant. Currently, the Heritage Council is working as an advisory body helping with reviews of national parks legislation. There is no such body in Ireland, which is not a normal situation in itself in comparison to other European countries. The Minister is currently examining the wildlife legislation. That is a priority the council has been pushing for a number of years. That needs to be updated.

New consolidated national monuments legislation needs to see the light of day as soon as possible. It has been sitting around for a long time but I am hopeful it will be brought forward.

In terms of the different approaches to doing things, some years ago, the council proposed to the Department what I would refer to as enabling and empowering legislation. That encourages communities and allows them to identify what they want to do and then come forward with a programme and a plan that would be supported through strategic funding. The initial proposal was coined as a landscape Ireland Bill because landscape was seen as embracing where people live, work and visit. That proposal still exists. It is not something to which the council has given priority in the past three to four years, but it is still very valid.

Senator Warfield mentioned storage facilities for the cultural institutions. The Heritage Council is not a collecting institution but we are part of the family. For many years, Dr. Bourke fought that fight within the National Gallery context so if I may, I will ask her to comment.