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

Ar an gcéad dul síos, is dócha gur chóir dom buíochas a ghabháil leis an gCeann Comhairle as ucht an ábhair tábhachtach seo a roghnú. The national cultural institutions are back in the headlines. Professor Diarmaid Ferriter resigned from the board of the National Library in 2012 as a result of his concerns at the pretty swingeing cuts made there. We have reason to be grateful to RTÉ today for exposing the letter which the outgoing board wrote to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht last July, expressing its deep concern at the library’s inability to fulfil its statutory function of protecting and preserving the nation’s documentary heritage. It made the alarming statement that all of its important collections are deteriorating because they are housed in unsuitable conditions. It needs an additional €500,000 to operate effectively. Not only does it have serious concerns about the unsuitability of the storage spaces in which 75% of the collection is maintained but it is concerned about the lack of fire safety, staffing and its inability to acquire vitally important new documents which should be retained in public ownership. There is a serious problem which Professor Ferriter and the board have signalled to the Minister. Additional investment is needed. I salute the Minister for securing some additional funding for the national cultural institutions last year.

Over the past few years of recession, agencies, individuals and families throughout the country suffered because there was not enough money to go around and there was real suffering and hardship. The cuts imposed on the national cultural institutions, such as the National Library, were disproportionate and indicate a lack of understanding on the part of Government of the vital importance of these institutions to national well-being and their role in our society. For example, the National Library has a collection of something in excess of 5.2 million photographs. Particular care needs to be taken in preserving photographs.

This is the decade of centenaries when we are talking about celebration. It is vitally important that in this period of celebration and commemoration, we ensure these valuable pieces of our heritage are protected and that the other pieces that need to be acquired can be acquired and added to the collection.

See this speech in context