1527. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the plans, if any, that exist to establish a storage facility for the collections of the national cultural institutions; the storage needs of each of the national cultural institutions; the engagement his Department had with the Office of Public Works on this matter; and the potential for such a facility to also accommodate parts of the State art collection. [57366/26]

The collections of the National Cultural Institutions are diverse and thus the institutions' storage needs are varied. The National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 provides for the role of the Office of Public Works with respect to the maintenance and improvement of the buildings occupied by the National Cultural Institutions, including storage for the national collection. My officials continually liaise with the institutions on these matters and my Department is briefed on the challenges that they face with respect to collection storage.

My Department is working with the NCIs and the OPW to deliver our commitments under National Development Plan, which includes an ambitious programme of flagship projects that will redevelop and future proof the Institutions for generations to come. These projects are being progressed in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines and best practice guidance outlined in the Capital Works Management Framework published by the Office of Government Procurement.

While work is ongoing on all projects in the Department’s NDP portfolio, they are being managed on a pipeline basis and are at various stages of project life cycle. When complete, it is expected that this investment will not only protect and enhance the heritage buildings housing our cultural institutions, but also address deficits in relation to storage. My Department engages with the OPW on a regular basis with regard to the implementation of this plan and the possibility of shared storage arrangements is being considered as part of this process.