Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

National cultural institutions are a precious resource. They protect and preserve this country's memory. They are centres for performance and learning. In addition, they offer citizens and residents opportunities to unlock their creative potential. While the focus of this matter is capital allocations and progress with the Project Ireland 2040 plan, I must acknowledge that day-to-day operations and staff numbers have never recovered since the years of austerity. Such a situation remains a challenge for many of the national cultural institutions whose staff numbers compare very unfavourably with their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and England.

Under Project 2040, a sum of €460 million has been set aside for national cultural institutions. Those institutions are: the National Library of Ireland; Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA; the National Museum of Ireland; the Crawford Gallery; the National Archives of Ireland; the National Concert Hall; the Abbey Theatre; the Chester Beatty Library; and the National Gallery of Ireland. The refurbishment of the National Gallery has led the way. It is a beautiful redevelopment and shows what can be achieved when investment is committed to, put aside and delivered. Many of these institutions have never been redeveloped although promises have been made in the past. In many ways, the Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage plan is a political wish list. These developments are critical not only in the context of artefacts but also to ensure universal access for all citizens and audience safety

The reason I tabled this matter is because I want a progress report. I do not want these Houses to be in the dark about the national cultural institutions and the current status of their redevelopment. I hope that the statement, which the Minister of State will give on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, will detail whether the €460 million is still a realistic figure. I am sure that it is not. What institutions are now in progress with regard to those investments? What phase has been reached in the context of each of the national cultural institutions? I mean in terms of a business case, investigation works, planning and contract procurement. The Minister is the one who signs off on all of the funding, and this is the Government's plan. In light of that, I would appreciate an update on all of the aforementioned.