Vol. 557 No. 5
172 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the extent to which interesting artefacts are presently in storage; his plans to put these items on display, whether through local museums, schools or otherwise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22958/02]
I am assuming the Deputy's question relates to artefacts in the care of the National Museum of Ireland. All objects in the care of the Museum are there because each is interesting in its own way. However, it is impossible to display all interesting artefacts at the same time. Exhibitions are developed to place the most significant objects on display to the public and in a setting which places them in a context that adds to understanding of them. There are exhibition strategies for further developments at the Museum of Decorative Arts and History at Collins Barracks and at the Museum of Archaeology and History in Kildare Street. The National Museum has an ongoing practice of facilitating loans to venues that meet the necessarily stringent requirements of security, safety and public access. To date, a number of loans have been made to local authority museums.
