Vol. 450 No. 1
10 Mr. Hughes asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht when the interim boards strategic plan for the National Museum will be completed and in view of the reply issued to Deputy Seamus Hughes by letter of 12 January 1995, his views on the introduction to a calendar issued by the Museum relating to the location of the folklife collection. [3287/95]
I have not received the final report of the interim board for the National Museum. I understand that it will be presented to me very soon and I will be taking decisions following consideration of the advice which I receive. As the Deputy will be aware, one of the tasks of the interim board is to advise me on the housing of appropriate elements of the museum's collections, including the national folklife collection at venues outside Dublin, having regard to the Collins Barracks development.
The new facilities at Collins Barracks will provide the opportunity to tell the story of Ireland in a comprehensive way, using elements of all the museum's relevant collections including the folklife collection.
Against this background the Deputy will appreciate that the statement of the director of the museum in the calender indicating that 1995 witnesses the beginning of the transfer of the museum's folklife collection to Collins Barracks is premature. I have taken no decisions regarding the permanent location of the national folklife collection in its entirety.
Will the Minister indicate when he expects to receive the interim report? Will he provide an opportunity at some later stage to discuss the Collins Barracks development? The Minister will accept that funding for the Collins Barracks museum was provided by the then Minister for Finance, Deputy Bertie Ahern. We have a particular interest in this and we would like to support the Minister with regard to Collins Barracks. Has the decision been made that the national folklife collection should be in the Collins Barracks or will it be housed elsewhere?
I expect that the report from the interim board, which I established, will be available within a matter of weeks. The former Minister for Finance and Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Ahern, and I visited Collins Barracks. I am very proud that the suggestion that the building be used as a museum was made by me, and facilitated by the Government.
——and financed by the Minister for Finance.
Different Governments should claim credit for it. When the move to Collins Barracks is made the display will for the first time, be drawn from all the various collections in the National Museum. Confusion arose in regard to the totality of the folk collection being transferred to Collins Barracks. That is a separate decision. No such decision has been taken that the folk collection in its entirely will be located in Collins Barracks.
In light of the recent figures released by the Office of Public Works which confirm that attendances at more than half the heritage centres are significantly down, can we look forward to a change in policy on public funding? Will more funding be allocated to the traditional museums and less to these new fangled heritage centres?
We do not want odious and unacceptable competition in the heritage area between projects. The whole matter will be put on a new legislative basis and much more resources will be provided under the Cultural Institutions Bill for museums and libraries. We will also address how expression can be given to the efforts of people throughout the country. It is wrong to consider one set of projects in competition with another. All projects advanced in this area will be of benefit to the people and should be considered positively rather than suggesting it is a waste of money——
Nobody suggested that.
The legislation which was inadequate has been improved. We have provided for institutional reform and more resources, and the public will appreciate that.
