Vol. 508 No. 5
18 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the progress, if any, which has been made with regard to his discussions with the National Museum regarding the extension of opening hours particularly with a view to having museum premises open on bank holiday Mondays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19129/99]
As I indicated in my reply to Question No. 14 on 29 Aibreán 1999 the management of the National Museum has had discussions with the relevant staff interests and further discussions are taking place with the view to reaching agreement on extending opening hours. However, while the matter is still under active consideration the Deputy will appreciate that there are human resource and financial implications inherent in such a move.
At present, the premises of the National Museum of Ireland at Kildare Street, Merrion Street and Collins Barracks are open to the public each week between 10.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and between 2.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. on Sundays. I cannot give any indication at this stage as to when it might be possible to improve the opening hours, particularly on bank holiday Mondays.
