Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

The Minister will be aware that I have submitted some parliamentary questions on the work of this advisory committee. I am really keen to see the report. I do not know if the Minister has published it, or if he is willing to publish it or share it with Members. It is really important that we see the fruits of that work.

The minutes of meetings have been published but there does not seem to be any record of a meeting since February. Perhaps meetings have taken place and minutes have not been published. There is a lot of interest in this topic and in the repatriation and restitution of our cultural heritage that is held in museums and educational institutions in other countries. In many cases it was taken without the permission of the Irish State and the Irish people at times of war and oppression and often stored inadequately, not open for researchers from Ireland or any other country to access and certainly not available for the people of Ireland to enjoy, understand, interpret and hold as part of our intangible cultural heritage.

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