Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The proposal is to forward a copy of the response from the Department to the petitioner. In doing so, the committee recognises and respects the petition. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The final petition for consideration has been the subject of some public discourse in the past 48 hours. Petition No. P00026/17 from Ms Aideen Darmody seeks the removal of the statue of Prince Albert from the grounds of Leinster House on the basis that it pays tribute to a monarch whose values are in opposition to those of the Irish Republic. The petitioner suggests that the statue be auctioned and the proceeds donated to a homeless charity.

We have received correspondence from the Superintendent of the Houses of the Oireachtas stating that the Houses do not own the statue of Prince Albert and that information on its ownership can be supplied by the Office of Public Works art management unit. The physical implications and potential cost of removing the statue would also be best answered by the OPW. The statue dates back to the Royal Dublin Society's ownership of Leinster House. It is worth noting that the sculpture was done by John H. Foley, who was a renowned sculptor.

The proposal before us is to deem the petition inadmissible under Standing Order 111C(1)(a) because it is asking the Dáil to do something that it does not have the power to do. When we discussed this in private session, the view was that the committee does not wish to have the statue removed, that it should remain but that it would be pertinent to seek clarification from the OPW or the powers that be as to who owns the statue. However, I wish to have a discussion and will seek members' views.