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

On a general note, the Deputy will be aware that all of the national cultural institutions, including the National Library of Ireland, have unavoidably suffered significant cuts in their allocations in recent years. This is an unpleasant reality with which every publicly funded body has had to deal with during the economic crisis of the past few years. The Government has done its utmost to minimise budget cuts for the cultural institutions, in so far as was possible, while being cognisant of competing demands on the public finances. The stark reality is that in the current funding environment institutions have had to make difficult choices when prioritising the spending of their allocations.

The National Library of Ireland and its board are statutorily independent under the National Cultural Institutions Act 1997. It is the statutory responsibility of the board to determine the priorities for the institution based on the resources available to it and the need to ensure the conservation and protection of its collections. I assure the Deputy of the Government's interest in and continuing support for our national cultural institutions. I remain hopeful that, notwithstanding the continuing pressure on the State's finances, it will prove possible in the coming years to ease the resource constraints. The funding to the National Library of Ireland since it became statutorily independent in 2005 is set out in the table that will be included in the Official Report. In the past two years the National Library of Ireland has managed its employment control framework in such a way as to yield some leeway in addressing resource issues. I have also made additional moneys available for its temporary exhibition programme and the development of the Heaney exhibition.

My Department maintains ongoing contacts with the management of the National Library of Ireland on a wide range of issues. I stress, however, that day-to-day operations are a matter entirely for the board and the director of the library.

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