National Cultural Institutions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 June 2013

Thursday, 27 June 2013

Questions (175)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

175. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps he will take to have Irish cultural institutions such as the National Museum of Ireland, Kilmainham Gaol, the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of Modern Art, open longer hours for tourists during the summer months in particular, and the reason the museum is closed on Mondays, the last tour at the gaol is 5 p.m. and the gallery doesn't open before 12.30 on Sundays. [31450/13]

Written answers

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Whilst my Department provides funding to the National Cultural Institutions, the Board of each institution is responsible for all operational matters, including opening hours, and I do not have a statutory function in respect of such day-to-day matters. However, opening hours is a matter which is kept routinely under review by all of the institutions and alternative means of access and the question of public opening times in general are amongst the matters being discussed with the institutions as part of the implementation of the Government's Public Sector Reform Plan.

The management and operation of Kilmainham Gaol is under the aegis of the Office of Public Works and my Department has no responsibility for it.