Statement of Policy
1. The fundamental purposes of IPCRA are firstly, to establish within Ireland the practice of conservation and restoration of historic and artistic material to internationally accepted standards and secondly, to encourage and promote informed discussion and education with regard to the means by which this can be achieved.
2. In pursuance of these aims IPCRA will seek to raise awareness of the purpose and application of conservation and restoration both:
i) Generally by the dissemination of information through lectures and publications.
ii) Specifically with regard to the relevant professional and governmental bodies by deficiencies and lack of provision present at local and national level.
3. IPCRA sees these problems as being most acute in:
i) The lack of adequately staffed, equipped and funded conservation and restoration facilities.
ii) The lack of planned and properly funded policies of acquisition related to the care of objects obtained by excavation, purchase or donation.
iii) The lack of facilities for formal training or education in conservation and restoration both generally and specifically.
iv) The failure to allocate adequate and dedicated funding for education facilities.
4. It is the view of IPCRA that the state of conservation and restoration funding and facilities throughout Ireland is due primarily to a failure to consider these aspects when planning the work of the various institutions and bodies charged with preservation, examination and presentation of our historic and artistic heritage.
5. IPCRA, as part of its educative role, seeks to address the anomalous and unacceptable situation whereby there is no representation by professional conservators or restorers on any of the bodies, statutory, elected or otherwise constituted, which are charged with advising government, directly or indirectly, on matters related to the acquisition, display, storage, maintenance or handling of material culture.
6. IPCRA seeks, in its furtherance of conservation, restoration and the position of their practitioners, a complementary role to other professional bodies, which are concerned with archaeology, architecture, art, and history and will endeavour to work actively with them in areas of common interest.
Adopted at the A.G.M. on 10th September 1994