Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again welcome Senator Warfield's interest in these important matters and I echo what he says about us being champions for the institutions that are right beside us, whether it is the National Library, the National Museum, the Natural History Museum or the National Gallery of Ireland. These are very important institutions which are right beside us and having engaged myself with the National Museum before the pandemic, the museum was very keen for Deputies and Senators to be in touch with their constituents and with school groups who might be coming to the Dáil, etc. The same would apply with the other institutions and I feel that they would be very happy for us to be their champions. We must remember that we have very important work to do here. Everybody who works in this country has a very important job, whatever one's role in society is, but culture and the arts brings us to a different space. Senator Warfield appreciates that, as certainly does Senator Murphy from his own background. It is very important that we become champions of these institutions.

The Senator mentioned the ongoing price inflation. That is a fact and a problem. The Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, and his officials have engaged extensively with industry and with public sector stakeholders involved in the national development plan to take steps to introduce measures to tackle the risk to the delivery of public facilities under the national development plan. They have introduced an inflation co-operation framework for those parties who are engaged in public works contracts.

Notwithstanding these difficulties, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and the Government remain entirely committed to the delivery of the investment programme and officials in the Department continue to keep the impact of these issues under constant review.