Vol. 480 No. 8
106 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if the Daon-chartlann project proposed by the Dún Laoghaire Genealogical Society has been determined as being her responsibility; if so, the action, if any, she will take to deal with the matter; the financial allocation, if any, she will make in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15259/97]
There are no discretionary funds available to me to assist the Dún Laoghaire Genealogical Society with its Daonch-artlann project, which, I understand, envisages the development of premises to house the society's records and archive and as a focus for genealogical research. However, in July last, I referred a request to me for such funding from the Dún Laoghaire Genealogical Society to the Heritage Council, which is a statutory autonomous body established under the Heritage Act, 1995, for consideration. Under that Act, the functions of the Heritage Council include proposing policies and priorities for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of the national heritage, including, inter alia, heritage objects, which in turn, includes genealogical records. In addition, the Heritage Council has powers to provide advice and assistance including financial assistance to any person or body in respect of any matter which is related to the performance of its functions. It should be noted that the council enjoys statutory independence in the disbursal of its funds.
