Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. a 6 agus Uimh. a 9 le chéile.
As I indicated in reply to similar parliamentary questions on 7 July 1993 — columns 1453-1456 of the Official Report — the question of loaning State artifacts from the national collections is primarily one for the national cultural institutions themselves. Before any such loan can be made the host institution must satisfy the highest standards of security, curation and environmental controls. In the case of the National Museum of Ireland, a further stipulation is that loans can only be made available to a country, city or other museum operated by a local authority, as I indicated in my reply of 25 May 1994, columns 345-346 of the Official Report.
An Chomhairle Ealaíon has a collection of contemporary art created over the past 30 years, numbering in excess of 700 works. It is the policy of An Chomhairle to make these works available to publicly accessible buildings throughout the country and this policy is pursued with vigour to the extent that the greater part of An Chomhairle's collection at any given time is on loan to institutions throughout the State. Public agencies may apply to An Chomhairle Ealaíon for works on loan, a condition of which is that the agency insures and otherwise properly maintains the works on loan.
I fully support this policy of prudent management which is designed to ensure the widest possible access to our heritage consistent with the integrity and safety of the national collections for posterity.