Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 June 2015
3. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the additional funding that will be made available to the National Library and the National Museum to bring safety and security standards up to international best practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24085/15]
View answerIn tabling this question I am asking the Minister to address the issue of the collections in the National Library, the National Archives and the museum. It is not about the buildings but about the collections.
Both the National Library and the National Museum are statutory independent bodies. While my Department provides funding to these national cultural institutions, the management and board of each institution are responsible for all operational matters, including storage, security and conservation. Accordingly, I do not have a statutory function in respect of such day-to-day matters. It is the responsibility of the management and the board of each institution to determine the spending priorities for their individual institutions, based on the resources available to them, and the need to ensure the appropriate security and protection of collections. I am aware both institutions give the security issue the highest priority. Where incidents have arisen, they have brought in appropriate expert advice to assist them.
I am also aware of the challenges facing the National Library and the National Museum, as well as other cultural institutions, following the significant reduction of resources available to the Exchequer as a result of the economic crisis. In this regard, I was pleased at the conclusion of the most recent Estimates processes not only to have ensured there would be no reduction in funding for the arts and culture areas of my Department for 2015, but also to have secured an additional €2 million in funding for the national cultural institutions. This included increased allocations in 2015 of €600,000 for the National Library and €800,000 for the National Museum. I was also pleased to recently approve a new post in the National Library for a security and facilities manager, which will be key to managing and planning the storage and security of the library’s collection.
The overall funding secured for 2015 gives more certainty to the institutions, allowing them to continue to deliver on their core objectives, including the protection and conservation of their collections. I will continue to keep the issue of investment in the library, museum and other cultural institutions under review in the light of the resources available to my Department.
These cultural institutions do not have an independent means for raising money except through philanthropy. Often, there more is said in that regard than is actually delivered.
Recently, I had the benefit of making a comparative visit to the National Library, the National Archives and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast. I was quite shocked at the lack of protection against fire or flood in the National Library. Its collection is housed over five floors without a solid floor between them. If a fire started in the basement, the collection would be wiped out in less than one hour. In the Public Record Office in Belfast, the firebreak between storage facilities would delay a fire spreading for six hours. The 1922 fire in the Dublin Public Record Office wiped out 700 years of history. Have we not learned from that mistake? It is critical that there is a full understanding of the real risk posed to our valuable and irreplaceable national assets.
I appreciate the Deputy’s concerns about the fire hazards in the National Library. An audit of safety and security of the library's collections was carried out sometime ago and outside personnel were brought in to examine it. I accept there is a need for further investment in this regard. As the economy continues to improve, I hope we will be able to increase investment in our cultural institutions. Unfortunately, we came through an economic crisis and funding was cut. As matters improve, it is my intention that we will provide further funding to our cultural institutions.
We need to be very mindful of any fire risks in the library. I will speak to the library’s management about this and raise the Deputy’s concerns with them. There are arrangements in place to protect the collections.
I know this is a legacy issue and was not created on the Minister’s watch. There has been a general neglect over decades, along with a general absence of understanding of the value of these collections and the protection they require. It is in marked contrast to the storage facilities in the Public Record Office in Belfast. In the Dublin National Archives, many files are stored on pallets when the ideal situation is they should be in enclosed fireproof shelving units.
I am sure the people in the cultural institutions are doing their best with what they have. However, there has to be an acknowledgement that these are invaluable collections and need to be treated as such. It is an urgent matter from that point of view.
There are significant plans in place to have the National Archives building converted with the right conditions to preserve these important records. While the work has not started, the capital investment has been approved for it.
It is important that these archival materials and documents are kept safe. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, PRONI, has been in place a lot longer and has had much investment over the years.
