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

It has long been recognised that the National Archives building at Bishop Street is inadequate for the storage of all State archives and future provision. The site has insufficient flooring and archival shelving in which to store records in an accessible manner, and consequently the building is not being used to maximum advantage. Furthermore, there are no exhibition spaces in Bishop Street to allow the display of rare and important collections. To address this, and as part of the decade of commemorations programme, the Government agreed to provide funding of €8 million for the first phase in a capital development plan at the National Archives. The OPW has recently appointed a design team to the project and I expect it to go to tender shortly, with construction starting in 2016.

This development will address many of the issues with the headquarters of the National Archives by providing additional floor space within the existing building. I am confident the investment plan will allow the National Archives to improve delivery of its core objectives, including the protection and conservation of its collections, as well as allowing it to develop as a venue for research, culture, learning and tourism.

In relation to digital archiving, I was very pleased to have been in a position to provide the National Archives with a special allocation of €150,000 for 2016 to assist in the work being undertaken by it in association with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer on digital records and public sector records management policy.

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