Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The National Library is one of our foremost national cultural institutions. It not only enhances our understanding and appreciation of our nation's history, it helps us tell our story to an international audience. The National Library, which is housed beside us here on Kildare Street, is an increasingly popular attraction for Irish visitors and overseas tourists. I believe this will increase next year, during the centenary of the Easter Rising, as the library holds a collection of fascinating historical material relating to that period.

I am acutely aware of the challenges facing the National Library and, indeed, other cultural institutions, following the significant reduction in resources available to the Exchequer as a result of the economic crisis. These challenges are a legacy of the economic crisis. The catastrophic collapse in the public finances resulted in severe, multi-annual reductions in funding across all of our cultural institutions and across the public sector.

There has been a €30 billion adjustment in Government spending in recent years. There are huge challenges and they are not going to be fixed overnight and will most likely take several years to address. Since my appointment as Minister, less than a year and a half ago, I have managed to stabilise and increase support to our cultural institutions. Thanks to the fact the economy has improved because of the sacrifices of the Irish people, I was in a position to secure an additional €2 million in once-off funding for our national cultural institutions in late 2014, as part of the 2015 Revised Estimates. The funding was aimed at addressing specific issues in several key institutions, including the National Library. This included an increased allocation of €600,000 for the National Library.

While this funding was originally secured on a once-off basis, I was pleased to retain it for 2016. The library will also benefit from additional funding under the Ireland 2016 centenary programme next year when it will play a very important role in our commemorations. The library gives the security of the collection the highest priority and, where incidents have arisen, has brought in appropriate expert advice to assist it.

With regard to staffing and the security of collections, I was also pleased to approve recently a new post in the National Library for a security and facilities manager, which will be key to managing and planning the storage and security of the library's collection.

The overall funding secured in the past two years gives more certainty to the library and will allow it to continue to deliver on its core objectives, including the protection and conservation of its collections. However, it is generally acknowledged that the library holds a significant amount of its collection in a Victorian era building which would not meet modern standards in terms of environmental and other controls. I might add there was no significant capital investment in the building when the country was awash with money. At a time when resources are still scarce, the Government is investing in our cultural institutions. I refute the Deputy's comment that there is a lack of understanding on our part. A €30 million upgrade is under way at the National Gallery of Ireland to restore the Victorian Dargan and Milltown wings.

I know that the library needs further capital investment. These issues have been discussed in the House on numerous occasions in recent years. My Department has been liaising closely with the library on these challenges and I intend to make a positive announcement on its capital needs in the coming week.

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