Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I am grateful to the Minister for his reply. Will he indicate when he anticipates being in a position to publish the lists referred to? The full list of what was acquired by CIE under the purchase scheme at the end of the 1960s and 1970s is contained in the appendix to the excellent exhibition of CIE's own collection, Art on Wheels.

There is a problem. The reason the full list must be put in the public realm arises from the fact that these paintings are a crucial part of the cultural heritage. In the appendix, a painting by Jack Yeats entitled Something Happened in the Street, is listed as national loan exhibition 1945, returned in 1973 and Arts Council subsidy refunded. Where is that painting now?

My second question relates. Have any of the pictures that were 50% assisted been offered for sale, either in Ireland or outside the jurisdiction? With reference to the second part of his reply, who owns these pictures which are 50% assisted by the Arts Council and the other 50% paid for by a semi-State body, Irish Rail, which in turn disbursed them to the Great Southern Hotel Group? Are they not in the ownership of the State? Why could that ownership not be transferred to public galleries?

The scheme introduced in 1953 suggested the purpose of the scheme is to have them on display to the Irish public, to introduce Irish artists to the public, and so forth. The purposes of that scheme cannot possibly be met by a sale to private collections.

I refer to the list of the Great Southern Hotel collection, of which the paintings in the Arts Council assisted purchase scheme may only be part. Where are these paintings? I put it to the Minister that it is in the interest of pointing out to the Dublin Airport Authority that they are not its paintings to sell. For the Dublin Airport Authority to say the OPW would be given first option is saying to the Irish people that they will be given first option on purchasing half of that which they own themselves already.

The issue of public scrutiny which is involved is that if I and my colleagues had not raised this issue, would we have known where this heritage was? I am dissatisfied with the reply stated publicly that paintings were removed from the Great Southern Hotel for appraisal and storage and were not being prepared for auction. My information is not so, that people were asked to tender for appraisal, storage and preparation for sale.

This is an urgent matter. It is urgent that the full list is provided. We must be given the full list of those purchased by CIE to go into the CIE hotels. What happened those paintings that were on exhibition in the four hotels that were sold, in Kenmare, Mulrany, Sligo and Bundoran? Was the 50% returned to the Arts Council and will the files in that matter be made available to the public?

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