Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There is a hugely important issue in this amendment. Provision has already been made in the Bill to enable the ratification of the UNESCO 1970 convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property, and the 1995 UNIDROIT convention on stolen or illegally exported cultural objects. These conventions jointly provide the basis for a range of preventative measures with restitution provisions, and for international co-operation. Importantly, the restitution provisions provide that states must assist one another in the recuperation of stolen cultural property and that parties may seek the recovery and assistance of other states in the recovery of stolen or illegally exported cultural property. I appreciate the proposals put forward here. I cannot accept this amendment as it is already provided for elsewhere in the Bill. I feel it is best to rely upon the global framework that has been introduced to deal with such matters.