James Breen (Clare, Independent)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if a commitment will be made to purchase, on behalf of the State, documents due for auction in a forthcoming auction (details supplied) on 12 April 2006, letters and memorabilia from the 1916 to 1922 period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6205/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The national collecting cultural institutions, consisting of the National Archives, the National Gallery of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, are charged with collecting and displaying cultural objects, including historical documents and letters. These institutions are provided with funding by my Department, including funding for acquisitions. The institutions may also avail of the heritage fund, under the Heritage Fund Act 2001, and the provisions of section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 may be used for acquisition purposes.

My Department has no involvement in the acquisitions process, other than through acquiring my approval for the use of moneys held in the heritage fund as provided for in the Heritage Fund Act 2001, and in providing the secretariat and chairman for the section 1003 selection committee. The decision as to what artefacts should be acquired by these institutions, and the amount of money that should be paid for any one acquisition, is solely an operational matter for each of the individual institutions.