Ms Catherine Heaney:

I will start with the question on diversity. One of the very worrying elements of our museum, particularly on the Kildare Street and Merrion Street sites, is neither has access for people with mobility issues. It is very disappointing this still is the case in 2016. This issue is on the table for our board and I have raised it in the Houses of the Oireachtas and with the Government during our discussions on the use of the ceramics room to facilitate Seanad Éireann.

The board is conscious of this. Our cultural institutions must be open and publicly accessible, regardless of people's abilities or otherwise.

Regarding inclusion, entry to national museums is free of charge. Sometimes, the queue at Blanchardstown shopping centre on a Sunday, from the Navan side in particular, is longer than at the museum. It is up to us to encourage people to change the way they do their business on a Sunday afternoon. There is a wonderful free exhibition in Collins Barracks on the 1916 Rising and if members have not seen it, I recommend it to them. It is full of artefacts that represent individuals from 1916, for example, cigarette packs, playing cards, etc. They were retrieved from Kilmainham Gaol the night before the executions and are engaging. The 1916 Rising commemorations have been brilliant in engaging children in school. I cannot understate the power of engaging children early in appreciating culture. This helps the process of inclusion, as it opens their minds and attitudes to other things. For this reason, it is incumbent on us and politicians to talk more about engaging and appreciating culture. It is not aloof - it is for everyone. This something about which I feel strongly.

I turn to the issue of best practice. The museum probably led the decentralisation programme, as we have been located in County Mayo for nearly two decades. We are proud of this. We loan to county museums. There may be issues with museum practice and ensuring the museums to which we loan are competent and have the capacity to look after artefacts. There are also associated cost issues.