Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 September 2014
286. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total cost to her Department, and agencies under the aegis of her Department, for the storage of records and archives that are ultimately intended to be forwarded to the National Archives of Ireland; if she will provide this cost for 2012 and 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35411/14]
View answerI have been advised by my Department that it is not possible to identify what proportion of its records held in storage will ultimately be transferred to the National Archives. An initial examination at the beginning of each year is conducted to establish if any records are due for transfer to the National Archives by identifying the records that will be 30 years old or more on 31st December of that year. As the Deputy will be aware, there are certain limited circumstances where records that are more than 30 years old may be retained by a Department or withheld from public inspection. I am advised that the cost to my Department in 2012 and 2013 of off-site storage of records was €111,451 and €116,393 respectively.
With regard to bodies funded from my Department's Vote Group, the Deputy will appreciate that the matters raised are part of the day-to-day operational responsibilities of the bodies in question. I am arranging, therefore, for the terms of the Deputy’s Question to be transmitted to the heads of relevant bodies with a request that they provide information, to the extent feasible, directly to the Deputy.
