Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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I thank the witnesses. I must declare a conflict of interest, not in this section but in one of the other sections. It is in respect of Eneclann, which will appear before the committee. I have shares and I must declare that as a conflict of interest so that we do not run into difficulties later.

I probably must declare another interest because I have a passion about this subject. I have nearly gone blind reading microfilm, microfiche and paper records. I value the development of being able to research things online. Having done it the hard way, one appreciates being able to do it through a more modern arrangement. I have spent time in many of the repositories, including some of those in Northern Ireland. I have not had a chance to spend much time in the new Public Record Office of Northern Ireland offices, but I did spend time in the old office on the Lisburn Road. The idea of an all-Ireland facility should be a given.

Mr. John Grenham made a point about the law. Can he direct us to the law that was changed in respect of what was done in the UK so that we can get over this rule? I presume he would say it was a game-changer to have the GRO records themselves, as opposed to the indexes.

My next question is probably a very political one, and the witnesses are free to respond as they wish, but why is it that the Irish Family History Foundation and irishgenealogy.ie have fairly comprehensive church records, and why can the set of records not be complete? It is fine if one knows where to find them, but there is a difficulty for somebody who does not realise how fragmented that set of records is. Perhaps the witnesses would address that issue. I would look at this from the same perspective as John Grenham - that is, as somebody who is trying to use the records. That is the focus we should have on this.

With regard to Mr. Michael Merrigan's presentation, the principle of records being in public ownership with a right to access is a good one. In his view, does that preclude charging for records? What is his view on that? Karel Kiely made the point about not being able to run the service without the income, which obviously goes back into the service. What is his response to that? This will obviously be a pivotal issue.

I totally agree with the point, which cannot be said loudly enough, about the move to Werburgh Street and the appalling building that has been provided. The idea of a flagship building is something on which I hope this committee will comment. If this is the first introduction for the visitor, it creates a very bad impression. We are not simply discussing tourists from abroad. I found the place where my family came from and I return to those places; I buy books and spend money there. The opportunities do not just relate to tourists. There are other things that one might not consider to be valuable in this whole area, but if we select the topic carefully, so that it is not put exclusively into an economic arena, there is a value beyond the economic as well which would be appreciated.