Mr. William Blair:

The essence of the point the Senator made is around the importance of museum ethics. The way we think about, work with and use our collections must be underpinned by a strong ethical framework which takes into account the issues the Senator highlights. The Irish Museums Association is working with European colleagues through the Network of European Museum Organisations, NEMO, around the development of a code of ethics, which is very timely. A code is required to provide a strong reference point and framework for the consideration of some of the complex issues around the collections we have. There is also a need for an audit of our collections across Ireland to understand what we hold, establish a strong baseline of what is there, understand what issues and opportunities the objects present, and how we can strengthen and consolidate collections. There is also a need to deal with issues which may arise from a better understanding of what we hold.