Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Tourism; Culture and Sport the amount allocated to the heritage fund for each year of the years from 2007 to 2010 and to date in 2011; the purposes for which it was allocated; and the purposes for which it will be used in the future. [10612/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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In the 1990s, the national cultural Institutions, which are charged with enhancing and expanding the national collections of cultural artefacts, had been experiencing increasing difficulties in acquiring privately owned artefacts and collections of heritage importance due to the high prices that such items were obtaining at sales and public auctions. To help surmount these difficulties, the Heritage Fund was established so that the relevant national cultural institutions could acquire heritage objects which are outstanding examples of their type and pre-eminent in their class.

The Heritage Fund Act 2001 established the Heritage Fund with an overall limit of funding of €12.697 million over a five year period. Funding was granted as follows: €3,809,214 in the financial year 2001; €2,539,476 in each of the financial years 2002, 2003 and 2004; and €1,269,738 in the financial year 2005. The five eligible institutions that may benefit from the Heritage Fund are the National Archives, the National Gallery of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland and the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

The Heritage Fund remains in place and currently contains €215,539.90 in funding. The amount in the fund is below the amount laid down in the legislation for an individual acquisition and, as the existing legislation does not allow for replenishment of the fund, new primary legislation is necessary before any further acquisition can be made. A scheme of a new Bill for this legislation has been drafted in my Department. However, any progress on this will be dependent on availability of funding from the Exchequer.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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While Sinn Féin supports the principle of having a heritage fund to secure assets of national importance, is the fund fit for purpose in its current form? How many staff are employed with specific responsibility for administering the fund?

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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As matters stand, if an important artefact of national importance were to come on the market, the Heritage Fund could not intervene and purchase the object on behalf of the State. We must review the position in this regard. The State has made major acquisitions through the Heritage Fund. In 2002, the National Library of Ireland used the fund to acquire the first tranche of the Joyce papers, the value of which at the time was more than €6.2 million. The total value of acquisitions, which included further tranches of the Joyce papers in 2003 and 2004, was approximately €12 million. If the Heritage Fund had not been available, the State would not have acquired these important papers. If finance is not available to purchase important collections that become available in future, they could be lost to the State forever as it may subsequently become impossible to acquire them.

I advocated the establishment of a heritage fund and supported the fund when it was introduced. It is an important instrument through which the State can acquire important memorabilia, papers and artefacts which are scattered throughout the world and may come up for auction. Sufficient funding should be available in the fund to ensure the State is in a position to step in and acquire items that could be valuable to the country so that their benefits are not lost to a private collection.

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I asked a question on staffing.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Staffing is generally shared among the institutions. Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.

Staffing is generally shared among the institutions. Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 21 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy Tom Barry - the issuing of an invitation to President Obama to visit the childhood home of Edmund Burke in north Cork; (2) Deputy Robert Troy - the need to provide additional funding in respect of Multyfarnham and Milltownpass community centres, County Westmeath; (3) Deputy Nicky McFadden - the need for an assurance to be given that medication is not being used to subdue patients who exhibit challenging behaviour in residential institutions; (4) Deputy Colm Keaveney - the need to consider the concerns of the family of a man (details supplied) who died in Germany; (5) Deputy Tony McLoughlin - the need to award €400,000 as aid towards Sligo Airport; (6) Deputy Michael McGrath - the need to provide every possible assistance to facilitate completion of the investigation into Anglo Irish Bank as quickly as possible; (7) Deputy Jim Daly - the eligibility criteria of applicants for the position of supervisors in the new Tús programme; and (8) Deputy Joe Costello - the need to ensure that outreach facilities for young people at risk. such as those (details supplied) in Dublin 9 which are based in the community and funded by the HSE, are properly supervised.

The matters raised by Deputies Barry, Keaveney, Michael McGrath and Costello have been selected for discussion.