asked the Minister for Education if he is aware of the following principal recommendations made in the Annual Report of the Board of Visitors of the National Museum and Botanic Gardens 1979: (i) the need for increased staff and service facilities, (ii) storage facilities for the collections to be centralised without further delay, at a venue where it will be possible to curate and to study them effectively, (iii) essential storage equipment to be obtained quickly, (iv) the provision of essential facilities for the Geological and Folklife Collection, in order to preserve important specimens e.g. zoological types, and (v) the need for a programme to develop the Museum as a major national institution; and if he will indicate the measures he intends taking to rectify the situation.
Written Answers. - Museum Services Development.
106.
A plan for the co-ordinated development of the museum services is under consideration in my Department. The relevant proposals would take account of the matters raised in the Board of Visitors' report. Long-term management structures for the National Museum are also receiving attention.