SOME of us are hoarders others are throwers out. From an early age I've been a hoarder. True, when I was eight I gave away my collection of tram and bus tickets because I decided I was too old for such a frivolity but I soon bitterly regretted this gesture and still have my second collection, started two years later.
Fortunately I never allowed myself to be misled into throwing away my early correspondence of which together with one postcard from a brother when I was three.
I retain copies year by year from age seven, although I did not start keeping copies of my own letters until I was 18.
I think I must have inherited this latter trait from my mother, who in a number of instances where she thought the record might be important made and kept copies of hand written letters.
It was perhaps fitting, therefore, that the only Bill I ever introduced and piloted through the Oireachtas was the National Archives Bill in 1986.
Until the National Archives were thus established, public records of government were held in Government Departments, or in the State Paper Office (in the Record Tower in Dublin Castle), which had been founded in 1702, and the Public Record Office (in the Four Courts), which had been founded in 1867.
Prior to the introduction of this legislation no provision existed for access to records of the Irish State, although in the mid 1970s Liam Cosgrave opened early Cabinet papers to historians, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs I allowed historians informal access to some of that Department's papers some of the most interesting of which I found were crammed into a safe in the office of the Secretary of the Department.
By the time I became Taoiseach the accumulation in Departments of papers from 60 years of Irish self government had reached the point where there was a danger of potentially valuable material being thrown out for lack of space.
My decision to initiate the National Archives Bill reflected my concern about this danger, as well as my consciousness of the intense frustration of Irish historians at the lack of access to this material save in so far as copies of some public documents might be found amongst the papers of former ministers available in the UCD archives or elsewhere.
PENDING the passing and entering into force of this legislation, I ordered that no papers were to be destroyed.
Key elements of this legislation were provisions to ensure the preservation of papers and their handing over by government departments after 30 years, subject to limited and specific exceptions which were to be tightly policed so as to ensure that they would not be abused.
This policing was to be undertaken by the Taoiseach's Department, which alone would have the necessary clout to overrule recalcitrant Departments.
Despite the transfer by this Government to the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht of administrative responsibility for the National Archives, these functions in relation to the transfer of documents remain with the Taoiseach.
It should perhaps be said that there is no evidence that Departments have attempted to abuse their power to limit access. On only one occasion has the Taoiseach's Department had to intervene, and the record of our Civil Service in relation to the release of records is said to compare very favourably with that of their British opposite numbers.
A National Archives Advisory Council was established under the Act in January 1987, to the chairmanship of which I appointed the late Mr Justice Niall McCarthy, who I knew to be deeply interested in archival matters and who, after his tragic death, was succeeded in this role by the equally committed Mr Justice Hugh O'Flaherty.
The legislation was fully activated in June 1988 and my successor as Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, secured premises for the new National Archives in a building occupied by the Government Supplies Agency in Bishop Street, on the site of the former Jacobs biscuit factory.
The State Paper Office and Public Record Office papers were transferred there, although the PRO space in the Four Courts is still being used as an off site store for archives. And all pre 1961 departmental records were required to be transferred by January 1991 and made available for public inspection in the excellently equipped reading room that has been constructed in Bishop Street.
A problem has, however, arisen which requires the urgent attention of the Minister for Arts, backed if necessary by the Taoiseach. All the currently available space at Bishop Street is now full.
Indeed, pending the long delayed but hopefully now imminent release of the first floor of the front part of the building, the National Archives have been unable to accept delivery of the vast bulk of material due to be transferred from Departments in the past year, or of delayed material from the Departments of Finance and Education, which had both fallen five years in arrears with the delivery of their pre 1961 material.
If, as is hoped, this limited space becomes available soon, this outstanding material will be accommodated. But further transfers of government papers will be held up and the transfer of records back to the foundation of the State from the courts and from 61 bodies named in the schedule to the Act will also remain impossible.
According to the National Archives Council, in draw" capacity or volume terms these Bishop Street premises, if they were fully available and suitably adapted, would provide adequate accommodation for the archives until well into the next century".
THE trouble is that despite explicit assurances given to the National Archives a large part of the Bishop Street premises continue to be occupied by the Government Supplies Agency" and in the warehouse at the back, a small part of which is currently available to and used by the National Archives, environmental conditions are adverse to the adequate and safe storage of archives (which will be) damaged in the medium to long term if no remedial action is taken
"A three tier structure erected in part of the warehouse in 1992 to house the Land Commission record ... does not comply with recognised standards for the storage of archives."
The Council's view is that a three floored structure needs to be built in this part of the premises, to British Standard 454. There is no indication yet as to when, or indeed even whether, resources are to be provided to meet this need. Because of the delays that have already taken place in relation to this matter, even an early decision will leave the National Archives incapable of fulfilling their basic function for a number of years to come.
At the same time the existing accommodation, which is subject to considerable and unacceptable fluctuations both in temperature and in relative humidity," needs to be brought up to this standard.
Another major problem facing the National Archives is that they have never been provided with the staff needed to function properly. They have a staff of only 3 today, compared with 94 in the Northern Ireland PRO and 130 in the Scottish Record Office.
They have in fact been refused additional staff on the extraordinary grounds that a quarter of a century ago some additional staff were furnished which brought up to this figure of 35 the total employed by two predecessor bodies, the functions of which were, of course, extremely limited by comparison with the enormously enlarged role of today's National Archives.
It should perhaps be added that our National Archives seem to be unique in Europe in that they lack even a conservation facility, repair workshop, and micro filming and repro graphic facilities. In addition to this, despite the increasingly widespread use of electronic records in the public service, the Archives have no Electronic Records Centre.
The Minister and the Taoiseach, who now share responsibility for the National Archives, must surely want to prevent the effective collapse of this institution which would start to happen within a year if its premises and staffing problems are not tackled so as to enable it to continue to accept further records. This article is a gentle reminder to them of the need to act now.