Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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489. To ask the Minister for Culture, Culture, Communications and Sport if certain Departmental records are missing from archives (details supplied); the action his Department has taken to locate these records; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66218/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Under the Telecommunications (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 237/2025), all relevant functions under the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 were transferred to me from the then-Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

As part of the transfer of functions, officials in my Department have liaised with officials in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with respect to records on the matter referred to, and that Department has confirmed that it holds no files on the matter. Accordingly, my Department does not have access to the files in question, if such files still exist. Officials in my Department are reviewing filing lists and other records which are held to ascertain if such records relating to the "Departmental Council" exist.

The Department of Posts and Telegraphs was abolished in 1984 and any relevant files should have been transferred to the Department of Communications, however I would also note that the abolition of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs pre-dated the National Archives Act 1986 and therefore the obligation to preserve government records; so it is also possible that all files may not have survived.