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Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 July 2021

Tuesday, 13 July 2021

Questions (306)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

306. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will initiate a dialogue with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in order to make available or release or both, Land Commission records in the context of the Decade of Centenaries events and themes for the period 2019 to 2023; if steps will be taken to make the pre-1922 records available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37451/21]

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Written answers

As the Deputy has indicated, responsibility for the Land Commission Records lies with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and it is a matter, in the first instance, for that Department.  Officials in my Department are in regular contact with colleagues across Government Departments, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, on key aspects of the Decade of Centenaries Programme relating to their areas of policy responsibility.

It is my Department’s understanding that when the Irish Land Commission ceased functioning in 1992, its work was unfinished.  The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is responsible for completing the work of the former Irish Land Commission (ILC) and, as such, the records of the Irish Land Commission are still working documents, accessed by the staff of that Department daily.

Whilst the social, cultural and political significance of the Irish Land Commission is accepted, it is my Department’s understanding that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine currently has no plans to digitise all of the Land Commission records that it holds.

However, my Department understands that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is currently examining the possibility of digitising certain key search aids which will enable electronic searches of the Land Commission Records Database to be carried out by members of the public in order to ascertain if specific records exist.   

The timeframe for completion of this review and the outcome of this process is a matter for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and any queries in that regard should be put to that Department in the first instance. 

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