Departmental Records

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 September 2014

Thursday, 18 September 2014

Ceisteanna (83)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

83. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if it is the practice of his Department to employ an archivist to examine records and archives once records are deemed appropriate for archiving to determine the quality of the records, the importance, the estimated care and attention needed to preserve the records and so on; if not, if he will consider this option in order to best capture the most valuable records before they potentially deteriorate in storage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35395/14]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Finance

File Management and Archiving is a shared service provided by my Department for both the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of file management and paper records.

Previously, my Department had a member of staff who had performed the duties of an archivist on a part time basis. As part of a broader review of our strategy for record and document management, we are now reviewing options as regards resourcing the archivist function.

In the meantime, my Department uses secured specialist file storage facilities to store and maintain records.