Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)

While opening hours are determined by financial constraints, it would be desirable to open our cultural institutions later in the evenings during the peak tourism season. This possibility is considered. As regards marketing funds, while it would be advantageous to increase funding, the marketing of our cultural institutions appears to be successful in light of the increase in visitor numbers. Anyone who ventures out from Leinster House on to Kildare Street or Merrion Square will see the large numbers of visitors to the National Museum, National Library and Natural History Museum. The shortfall in marketing funding arising from the recent cutback is being made up through Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. The focus of attention on our national cultural institutions appears to be working as numbers are increasing. In some cases, they are attracting even greater numbers than their international counterparts.

See this speech in context