Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

May we seek an update from the OPW on the National Gallery so that we can have a better understanding of the original estimate and the eventual cost? I suspect that it will fall into the same category as Leinster House. With an historical building, one cannot predict some of the issues that will arise. The amount that is allowable for contingency is limited in every contract. It may well be that there will be an underestimate with every historical building because something that has not been predicted will always be found. Can we have a breakdown of the figures from the OPW? It was a nice job and I am glad it is done.

I wish to make a point about the National Archives.

I am not sure where we are with the building for the National Archives. There was to be a big new section at the back on Bishop Street. A lot is held off site and some of it is held in Portlaoise. It costs money to retrieve that and some of that will not be necessary because, if things are digitised, people are happy to take documents in that format. If records are held in several different locations, it is not just the building they are going to be in in terms of retrieving them. Sometimes they will have to be audited and retrieved from a distance away. That is the same with the local authorities. A lot of Kildare County Council's documents are stored in Cork and you have give notice to retrieve them. I know there was a bigger project with Trinity College regarding a different approach to holding records.

It would be well worthwhile getting some updates from the Department regarding that because there are potential savings and efficiencies in digitising, where records are stored, how they are retrieved and whether we do it in a facility wholly owned by the State or rented in perpetuity. There are probably other things relating to the future in terms of digital format, how we keep records and how people will be able to go back and look at things in years to come, because that will be a real challenge.