Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions and for their support for the Bill. I have listened with interest to the input of Deputies on all sides of the House. The various issues raised will be considered further by the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys's Department as the Bill makes its way through the Houses. Issues of relevant costs are being dealt with and have been looked at by the Minister.

Ireland’s unique and varied culture is a source of immense national pride that gives us a common sense of purpose. The Minister and I believe it is crucial that we provide an accurate reflection of our history and our journey to the modern Ireland of today and that the National Archives is one of the State’s most important national cultural institutions. The records held by the archives document the historical evolution of the Irish State and the creation of our national identity. For this reason the Minister firmly believes that, notwithstanding the challenges it is important to provide the flexibility for records to be released after 20 years if there is strong case regarding their historical or public interest value.

Our shared history with Great Britain and Northern Ireland cannot be underestimated and the Government is of the strong view that we must provide for the protection of the Irish perspective on that shared history.

The Minister has considered carefully moving to a 20-year rule and is of the opinion that, notwithstanding the significant resourcing issues involved, it is important to provide for the early release of records of significant historical or public interest value. If we do not change the legislation by 2023 Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be releasing records ten years ahead of the Republic of Ireland and that would lead to an incomplete version of our shared history.

We have listened to all the points made and will report back to Deputies. The Minister's officials have taken note of what has been raised and they will examine what has been proposed. I have a word of caution. If Members have any amendments they want to table on Committee Stage, it would be of good value if they consulted the Department before doing so as it would help to speed up the process and make sure we had understanding of the amendments.

I commend the Bill to the House.

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