Departmental Records

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 September 2014

Thursday, 18 September 2014

Questions (203)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

203. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if it is the practice of his Department to employ an archivist to examine records and archives once records are deemed appropriate for archiving to determine the quality of the records, the importance, the estimated care and attention needed to preserve the records and so on; if not if he will consider this option in order to best capture the most valuable records before they potentially deteriorate in storage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35397/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Department of Health does not employ an archivist.

My Department has a contract with a records management company for the secure storage of the Department’s inactive records, incorporating ordinary storage, high security storage and multimedia storage. This state-of-the-art facility is protected from flood, and temperature and humidity are recorded and monitored. This ensures that documents cannot be damaged or lost by being exposed to external conditions.

However, when the Department next proposes to archive records, consideration will be given to the possibility of employing an archivist on a contract basis.