Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fearaim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus tuigim go bhfuil an t-Aire féin ag gníomhú ar chúrsaí a bhaineann leis an gcáinaisnéis. Tá sé sin tábhachtach, gan amhras. I agree that it is important that the Minister use every housekeeping initiative available to him to achieve economies. However, I am concerned that the arm's length principle enshrined in the Arts Act 2003 is being abandoned with the proposal to merge the National Archives, the National Monuments Service and the National Library of Ireland. In an international context we have identified 113 countries which have established national archives, but in only two are they amalgamated with the national library. I draw the Minister of State's attention to a comment made by our literary master craftsman, Mr. Colm Toibin, who stated: "The ethos behind a National Library – the making of books and manuscripts available to scholars - and the function of a National Archives – the preservation of documents emanating from government departments – seem quite distant from each other." We are asking the Government to desist from pursuing this policy because it is not in the interests of the cultural institutions to be drawn back into the control of the Minister. I accept that the Minister, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, is totally committed to ensuring the well-being of our cultural institutions, but this change will live on after him and we cannot be sure that future Ministers will have such a demonstrable interest in this area. I do not think for one minute that he believes in his heart that the proposals made are in the best interests of these important facilities, given their major cultural and economic significance, not least in the context of The Gathering.

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