Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

In light of the Taoiseach's response to Deputy Rabbitte concerning the five-yearly review, how many files have been subject to multiple reviews? The Taoiseach referred to the period from 1999 onwards. Do the files withheld relating to 1976 concern a single incident or a number of incidents? Are the same people cited in each of them or do they relate to different groups of people?

The Taoiseach appeared to indicate to Deputy Rabbitte that some files may have been withheld to avoid embarrassment to people who corresponded with members of the Government. Will he explain the security implications of withholding such correspondence?

Has the Department of the Taoiseach succeeded in creating a computer database of archives? To what extent has a division taken place in the National Archives between, on the one hand, professional historians and researchers and, on the other, members of the public who use the National Archives, for instance, to look up family histories? Could the difficulties in the National Archives caused by lack of space be overcome by introducing greater computerisation of records?

See this speech in context