Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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67. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if it is the practice of her Department to employ an archivist to examine records and archives once records are deemed appropriate for archiving to determine the quality of the records, the importance, the estimated care and attention needed to preserve the records and so on; if not if she will consider this option in order to best capture the most valuable records before they potentially deteriorate in storage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35400/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Under the National Archives Act 1986, the Department is obliged to retain and preserve all records, which are created and held in the Department, unless disposal of any such records is authorised by the Office of the National Archives. Accordingly, there are a number of Certifying Officers appointed across the business areas of the Department who liaise with the Office of the National Archives concerning the Department's obligations under the Act. There are no plans currently to appoint an archivist.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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68. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total cost of her Department and those under the aegis for the storage of records and archives that are ultimately intended to be forwarded to the National Archives in time; if she will provide this cost for 2012 and 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35424/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Records which have archival value are ultimately transferred to the National Archives. It is a matter for the National Archives Office to appraise records and to decide if records have, or do not have, archival value. It is the responsibility of the National Archives Office to sanction disposal of records which do not have archival value.

As the archival value or otherwise of records is linked to the appraisal of records by the National Archives, the Department, and bodies operating under its aegis, do not have an allocated cost for the storage of specific records which have archival value and which, therefore, will be ultimately forwarded to the National Archives.