Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We need to re-imagine our national cultural institutions to ensure that they are inclusive and accessible to all in terms of structure; geography; increased regional outreach; digital responsibilities; increasing staff numbers to levels seen in Wales, Scotland and England; opening hours; and and beginning plans for a cutting-edge storage site to preserve access to digital and physical collections for future generations.However, Sinn Féin believes that, following a national conversation on the display and an independent survey of such material, the natural cultural institutions should be directed to repatriate all identifiable stolen treasures and loot stemming from our time in the participation of the British empire, provided their final destinations are safe and secure. I have in mind locations such as Burma, China, Egypt and so on. On 9 November 2013, Fintan O'Toole wrote on this topic. I encourage all Senators to reflect what he wrote. The arts, culture and heritage have great power when shared internationally, but we should not forget that these treasures and remains will always be part of the heritage of indigenous people throughout the world. Billy Fitzpatrick, a citizen who wrote to the press calling on the Government to direct our national cultural institutions to begin the process of repatriation of all identifiably stolen objects, said "such a gesture would put pressure on London, Paris, Berlin and other former imperial capitals and help bring to a close one of the more visible and shameful reminders of Europe's colonial past." This is a conversation society needs to have. It is a conversation that the Seanad can lead on, especially in light of our move to the National Museum of Ireland.