Michael Creed
Question:16 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht his views on whether the intrinsic value of our heritage is being compromised by our quest to maximise tourism earnings.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Heritage Policy.
I of course, share the Deputy's concern that the intrinsic value of our heritage should not be compromised. My policy is for the preservation of our diverse and unique heritage for current and future generations of our people on this island, and for the provision of suitable public access and information.
Of course, our heritage also plays an important role as a tourist attraction. I believe that the richness of our heritage can be shared with visitors to this country without any such compromise occurring, through careful and sensitive management of public access and information.
This has been my policy since I was appointed Minister with responsibility for heritage policy, and I will continue to be vigilant in this regard.
It is not so much this Minister's commitment to the intrinsic value of our heritage that worries me but rather that of the Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works. I would refer him to an incident which occurred in Céide Fields. It sums up the tension which exists between the Office of Public Works and his Department which has responsibility for interpretative centres. The resident archaeologist resigned because of the appointment of a person to promote potential earnings rather than one who had an appreciation of the archaeological importance of the site. Does the Minister intend to bring the heritage section of the Office of Public Works within his remit? Does he consider that his Department is rendered useless in terms of policing its aspirations, given that they have responsibility for policy but not for its implementation? That rests with the Office of Public Works.
Let us not ask the Minister questions about matters which are not his responsibility.
Legislation to place the Heritage Council on a statutory basis is with the parliamentary draftsperson. There is a heritage policy unit in my Department and the Deputy may have been in contact with them. It is specifically laid down that future policy in relation to heritage is my responsibility. That is why I am strengthening the institutional infrastructure by putting the Heritage Council on a statutory basis, and why I have a heritage policy unit within my Department. It would be very wrong to stray into the area of the appointment of one individual or another, even if I had direct responsibility for the employment of individuals within an agency. I value, and have been at pains to strengthen in legislation, the philosophy of autonomy with responsibility and the statutory distance which these bodies and agencies have from me so that they can act responsibly. At the same time, my assurance to this House is the accountability which the statute gives.
Does the Minister agree with the written policy of the National Museum not to lend works of archaeological interest to interpretative or other centres unless these centres employ trained archaeologists? Does he think this is the correct policy in a developing situation? If he does, I accept that. If he thinks otherwise, what steps does he intend to take to have that policy changed? Is the Minister concerned that if this policy pertains and the Office of Public Works refuses to respond, some of our interpretative centres will be little more than ice-cream parlours in ten years' time because they will not have the trained staff that would enable them to have the kind of stock that adds to their appeal, to preserve such items of interest and present them to the viewing public, natives or tourists?
We have strayed quite a bit through the Céide Fields and into other fields. There may be a later question on the Order Paper that deals with this.
It will not be reached.
I do not mind answering. I know the Deputy's interest is genuine and I am anxious to be of assistance. As to the possible use of Collins Barracks as a new location for the museum, I have established an advisory group to advise on the best short term strategy for museums and for the needs of the museum. That body will be addressing a number of things. To answer the Deputy's specific question, what the museum considers when deciding to lend an artefact are issues of security, conservation and safe movement of the object in question. These criteria are laid down by professionals within the museum and I respect them. To address the needs of interpretative centres, as the Deputy suggested, one must try to raise their standards so that they can meet the requirements of conservation, security and safety and make it possible for there to be a proper set of artefacts available. It is certainly a consideration and deserves attention.
Will the Minister confer with his Cabinet colleagues with a view to putting in place the kind of policy he has articulated here which I think is the correct one?
Future heritage policy will be, as much as I can make it, an integration of two quite interesting tendencies. One is that heritage belongs to all of us and should be built into the regular education of children and people who live locally who, if they know and are proud of their heritage and can tell their own story, are more interesting to visit. The other is that if, after that, what becomes available by way of artefact and the description of it is attractive as an economic resource for tourism, that is an additional benefit. These two needs must be integrated and I would certainly be interested in trying to pursue future heritage policy with such intentions.