Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I am responding on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Martin Cullen. I have listened to the Senator with great interest and must apologise in advance because I have a very brief reply to his many questions.

All exhibitions are subject to the regulations on the licensing of indoor events, which process is under the aegis of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Licences must be sought from the local fire authority and are subject to safety and security considerations, such as considerations concerning the number in attendance and their supervision.

The national cultural institutions come under the aegis of the Department and the board of each institution has responsibility for decisions concerning the display of artworks and artefacts. The boards have a more hands-on role than the Minister and are in a position to make decisions regarding each individual exhibition. The National Museum of Ireland has a specific policy on human remains and this informed its display of human remains in its current "Kingship and Sacrifice" exhibition of the Iron Age bog bodies and related finds.

Exhibitions, particularly art exhibitions, often provoke debate and this has been the case over many centuries. Legislation governing exhibitions could be viewed as a form of censorship. It would involve setting out in advance, at a particular point in time, statutorily binding rules on exhibitions which could well be found to be inappropriate and not stand the test of time. It is difficult to foresee in advance and legislate for future forms of exhibitions. The Minister has no plans to introduce legislation governing exhibitions.