Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Ar an gcéad dul síos, is dócha gur chóir dom buíochas a ghabháil leis an gCeann Comhairle as ucht an ábhair tábhachtach seo a roghnú. The national cultural institutions are back in the headlines. Professor Diarmaid Ferriter resigned from the board of the National Library in 2012 as a result of his concerns at the pretty swingeing cuts made there. We have reason to be grateful to RTÉ today for exposing the letter which the outgoing board wrote to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht last July, expressing its deep concern at the library’s inability to fulfil its statutory function of protecting and preserving the nation’s documentary heritage. It made the alarming statement that all of its important collections are deteriorating because they are housed in unsuitable conditions. It needs an additional €500,000 to operate effectively. Not only does it have serious concerns about the unsuitability of the storage spaces in which 75% of the collection is maintained but it is concerned about the lack of fire safety, staffing and its inability to acquire vitally important new documents which should be retained in public ownership. There is a serious problem which Professor Ferriter and the board have signalled to the Minister. Additional investment is needed. I salute the Minister for securing some additional funding for the national cultural institutions last year.

Over the past few years of recession, agencies, individuals and families throughout the country suffered because there was not enough money to go around and there was real suffering and hardship. The cuts imposed on the national cultural institutions, such as the National Library, were disproportionate and indicate a lack of understanding on the part of Government of the vital importance of these institutions to national well-being and their role in our society. For example, the National Library has a collection of something in excess of 5.2 million photographs. Particular care needs to be taken in preserving photographs.

This is the decade of centenaries when we are talking about celebration. It is vitally important that in this period of celebration and commemoration, we ensure these valuable pieces of our heritage are protected and that the other pieces that need to be acquired can be acquired and added to the collection.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Perhaps the Minister of State might make the announcement now, rather than wait for the weekend. It is in this House that such an announcement should be made. I appreciate most of the points she has made and cannot disagree with any of them. However, the outgoing board is stating all of the important collections are deteriorating. If that is happening, it is something that requires immediate action. If the collections are not fire-safe, they require immediate attention. Will the Minister give us an assurance that there will be the required level of attention?

The Minister has rightly said the building on Kildare Street is old, as is this building, and such buildings require ongoing maintenance and capital investment. What is the level of capital investment required to upgrade the building? If the Minister is to make an announcement in the near future, will she refer in it to the total refurbishment of the building?

Reference has been made to an exhibition in 2017 of the work of the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, of whom and of whose work we are enormously proud. We want the exhibition to go ahead and are aware that it is going ahead, the Minister having secured commitments from Bank of Ireland in this respect. As media reports state the National Library of Ireland will not be in a position to invest in the exhibition, can the Minister of State put our minds at ease by confirming that extra funding will be forthcoming from the Government?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The outgoing board wrote to me at the end of its term, at a time of change for the library, with its members' thoughts on the challenges facing the institution. There were, however, also some good things in the letter in which they expressed their appreciation of the interest I had shown in the library since I had taken up office. In turn, I appreciate their efforts in serving on the board for the past five very difficult years. They said it was remarkable, against a backdrop of cuts since 2008 and the public service embargo, that the library had delivered significant initiatives, including the digitisation of the 1916 collection and parish records and increased visitor and public engagement levels, both directly and online. I look forward to working with the new board and its chairman, Mr. Paul Shovlin. I intend to call the first meeting of the new board in the coming weeks. Much of the advice provided for me by the outgoing board was related to the need to put in place a board with a range of suitable skills and backgrounds to oversee the operations and strategic focus of the library. I believe the incoming board will meet that test.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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What about protecting the materials?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I will get to that issue in one minute. My Department has also been working closely with the newly appointed director of the library, Dr. Sandra Collins, to address its needs in terms of resources and investment. By working together we intend to begin to address the most pressing needs of the library in the coming years. The outgoing board stated the building on Kildare Street needed substantial investment and that the Victorian construction gave rise to particular safety concerns as it would not meet modern construction environmental and fire safety standards. I am very aware of these issues which are a priority. The final details of the plan will be announced in due course, but I do not have the figure the Deputy sought.

In respect of the Seamus Heaney exhibition, the Bank of Ireland is making space available to the State for a ten-year period and this will cover the cost of refurbishment. My Department is working with the library on the final cost of the exhibition. It is good that this exhibition of Heaney's work will be made available in a particularly good location in the centre of the city.