Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 330: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will list the buildings and storage locations available across all cultural institutions under his remit at which archive records and materials are stored, catalogued, examined or are made available for public use; if the total storage space available is adequate to ensure the safe storage of materials; if the total space available is adequate to ensure that all records which are held currently at these sites may be accessed by members of the public and catalogued and examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30763/12]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 331: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if, in view of the decade of commemorations currently underway, he has any proposals to expand the State's capacity to catalogue, examine and make available for public use archives, records and historical materials held by the State in storage; if he has considered the use of the older portion of the Bolands Mill buildings at the Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, which is currently held by the National Assets Management Agency, for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30765/12]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 330 and 331 together.

A number of Cultural Institutions under the remit of my Department, including the National Library of Ireland and the National Archives, currently hold collections which are relevant to the Decade of Centenaries.

The provision of improved storage and accommodation National Archives at Bishop Street is under ongoing review by OPW and my Department. The premises of the former Bolands Mills at Grand Canal Dock was one of a number of buildings under consideration for the National Archives over thirty years ago. The premises were deemed unsuitable at that time because of the poor condition of the building and the cost and the amount of work that would be required to bring it to a minimum standard.

The list of buildings and storage locations for archive records and materials available across all cultural institutions under my Department's remit is listed below

The archives in the National Museum are managed locally and overseen by a qualified archivist based in Collins Barracks. The archives are not routinely open to the public. When processed, the records can be consulted by prior appointment, usually through the archivist or through a member of curatorial staff on the relevant site. The storage space available is deemed by the National Museum to be adequate.

Storage space and facilities are subject to ongoing review by the National Library of Ireland. The National Library has an internationally acclaimed reading room.

Storage of materials by the National Archives is an ongoing challenge. All public consultation of archives is carried out in the Reading Room in Bishop Street for reasons of security and efficiency. Archives stored in the other buildings are available in Bishop Street within 24 hours.

The National Gallery of Ireland's Library & Archives collections are held in specific library & archive storage areas which are environmentally monitored and secure. Archive storage is accessible by staff only, but processed archive collections are available for public consultation in the Gallery's own reading rooms.

All archive records held by the Chester Beatty Library are professionally stored in climate controlled secure conditions and total storage space is adequate for collections and paper archives. A Reference Library is available online for public consultation. The Chester Beatty Library Image Repository has over 500 digital files stored electronically and available in-house for public consultation and research. The image gallery online is currently being expanded as part of the Library's on-going digitisation programme.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art records and archives are catalogued or publicly accessible. The Museum's archive records are stored both on-site and off-site. The storage is currently adequate to ensure the safe storage of the collection.

All materials held by the Crawford Art Gallery are held in adequate storage space at the Gallery and are accessible to the public.