Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Department often has the custodianship of national artefacts but it has a process in place for lending in the long term to the county museums and so on, provided it is satisfied with the standards and also that these museums will continue to exist and are funded through public funding. The Department has some arrangement where if it receives an artefact, it can act as the agent in deciding whether it is of national or local interest, and what is the most appropriate theme or location for it.