Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Not the pleasure of her dying. I am sorry - I worded that incorrectly. My mother-in-law died almost two years ago, but I had the pleasure of her company for many years. She was born in 1909 and was able to describe 1926, 1916, 1914 and so on. She could remember them well. Luckily, I was able to record her and get much of that information on record.

Interestingly, I visited the archives office a few years ago and was asked by the people there to give them a challenge. My father-in-law was born in 1899 and was two years of age in 1901. His mother was 25 years of age at that time. The people in the office asked whether I wanted to see the 1911 census, when he was 12 years of age. Instead of being 35 years old, however, his mother was only 33 years of age. It may just be a woman's thing of reducing her age, but the people in the office believed it was a most unusual step to take, as most people had gained rather than lost in age. The old age pension was introduced in 1904 and people wanted to reach 65 or 70 years of age, whatever it was at the time, earlier than they would have otherwise. I mention this example, given how strongly Members have spoken about this matter today, particularly Senator Ó Murchú. He has such commitment to the idea.

I listened to Senator Gilroy discuss what he had discovered. We are discussing information that we knew, learned and are interested in, given the insight it provides. One of Senator Barrett's comments acted as a reminder, namely, this can pay for itself. I was in Salt Lake City some years ago and saw the Mormon Tabernacle. The Mormons keep a vast, global genealogy. I gather that it is a big money-spinner for them following their investment in it. It should be possible to get some Internet companies to sponsor our initiative, given the benefits that they would derive on that basis.

I grew up in the tourism business. My father ran Red Island holiday camp in Skerries. Approximately 40 years ago, a woman mentioned that she would love to join me on my way to Dundalk. She went with me because she knew that her father had come from there. I was to take her back afterwards, but when she returned to me that evening, she told me that she was not going back, as she had discovered relatives. Her father and mother had run away from home in the 1920s and had never kept in touch with people in Dundalk, but she knew her father's surname and that he had come from Dundalk. She had come across cousins and other relatives, but had missed out on meeting her grandfather by only a few weeks. Before he died, he had wondered what had happened to his son. These are the types of history that people would give anything to learn, but we are in danger of closing the door on them, particularly from a tourism point of view. Given the diaspora, there are many potential tourism and promotional benefits to a release of the 1926 census.

The 1926 Northern Ireland census, which was recorded on the same night as the census in the South, will sadly not follow suit, as it was pulped during the Second World War. I do not know whether the Minister of State knew that, but I had been unaware of it until I investigated. It is sad - we could have had census information on the North and the South from the same day. The Northern census would have been an amazing counterpart to and resource for the South's.

On a related issue, our archives are important. I have advocated for greater investment in the National Library, the National Archives and the Irish Manuscripts Commission. They face great challenges in terms of storage and inadequate facilities. Some of those facilities are not even fire-proofed to protect vital documentation on our history. This is a shame. Given the fact that we are approaching the anniversaries of the 1916 Rising and the foundation of the State, it is sad to consider how lacking we are in this area.

On looking to the future, we need clarification. Despite the era of electronic communication, we do not have departmental records. For instance, who superintends the Departments' archival records and chooses which documents to keep? Is it normal for Departments to move their papers regularly? Decisions like these should be made professionally and adequately, if possible.

Electronic storage of files poses enormous problems on several levels. I recall a senior civil servant telling me when I asked how her Department managed things, that while she places printouts of important letters on the files, record keeping generally in the Department was slack. I would like to know who supervises the electronic archiving of records and chooses which documents are kept?

I support the Bill and urge the Government to grasp the economic opportunities afforded by it and to realise the cultural and historical importance of accepting it. I commend Senator Ó Murchú on the introduction of this Bill, which is novel and capable of achieving great things both in terms of tourism and culture. I urge the Minister of State to give serious consideration to acceptance of the Bill.