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

The records contained in the 70,000 boxes in question are kept in a secure place and will be available to the public in the not-too-distant future. Since 2008, the National Archives has experienced a 41.64% reduction in its operational budget. If the Deputy checks the Estimates from the past three years, she will see how I have done my best to arrest that decline in funding. Last year and this year, the budgetary reduction was minimal. I have tried my best, within the constraints of the overall reductions to my departmental budget, to minimise the reduction in funding for the National Archives.

There has never been more interest in archival material, principally because it is the decade of commemorations. Some really interesting projects are under way both inside and outside the National Archives. Any archives of historical importance will be made available during the decade of centenaries.

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