Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Regarding my question on the NAMA records and with respect, the Taoiseach is making a great presumption to the effect they will be maintained in a format capable of being available under the National Archives Act 1986. Has the Department of Finance or the Government given an instruction that the records relating to NAMA are to be preserved and made available in the course of time? If that direction has not been given, can we have an assurance that it will be?

Regarding the retention of records by Departments, the National Archives Act was introduced in 1986 at a time when information technology as we know it now was in its infancy. That was a quarter of a century ago. Has any audit been carried out on the adequacy of the way in which records are being retained to ensure that they will be available for the archive? Records have traditionally been available in paper form, but much more material is stored today in electronic format, and the kind of note that might be written on the margin of a paper by a civil servant is now more likely to be in an e-mail. Such records are essential for future historians. Has there been any auditing or any kind of check done by someone with competence in this area to assure us that the records are being maintained? The Taoiseach has said it appears that it is largely at the discretion of individual Departments as to what records should be kept.

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