Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

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However, on Tuesday evening last I met the chair and other members of the foundation to discuss the sale of several paintings. I had a very frank conversation with them and made it clear that it would have been preferable if the trustees had come to me before making their decision to sell the paintings. The fact that the paintings are now in an auction house in London makes the situation very difficult to unravel. At the meeting I asked the chair of the trust if it would be possible to delay the sale of the paintings or to consider withdrawing the paintings from auction to provide some time to explore all possible options involving my Department and the Office of Public Works. The trustees declined to either delay or cancel the sale, citing the fact that they would incur a fee of £1.4 million sterling for breaking an agreement with the auction house handling the sale, with which the foundation entered into a contract several months ago. The trustees also made it clear that they believed they were taking the right action to create an endowment fund for the house which will provide an ongoing income for the years ahead. Furthermore, they made the point that the paintings that are to be sold have been in storage and not on public view for almost 20 years. The memorandum and articles of association of the Alfred Beit Foundation make it clear that the trust is perfectly entitled to sell the assets of the foundation. I was informed of the decision last month, several months after the foundation had entered into an agreement with Christie's to have the paintings sold. The fact remains that my Department does not have the discretionary funds necessary, believed to be in the order of €12 million, to buy the paintings. I will continue to try to determine whether any other possible options can be explored, but this will be difficult, given the fact that the sale is to proceed next month.

The foundation made it perfectly clear in a statement released yesterday that it was the owner of the relevant paintings and that these paintings were not left to the State by the Beits. In fact, the foundation clarified that 17 masterpieces were donated by Sir Alfred and Lady Beit to the National Gallery in 1985 and these paintings are the property of the Irish people. The foundation is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status and was established in 1976. Its primary objective, as set out in its memorandum and articles of association, is to promote and further the advancement of education in the fine arts in Ireland. The foundation is governed by a board of trustees which includes representatives of the National Gallery, An Taisce, UCD and Trinity College. It operates independently, and according to its memorandum and articles of association, it may sell, lease or otherwise deal with or dispose of the whole or part of the property or assets of the foundation.

The Beit Foundation has stated that it informed the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht of the financial challenges facing it. I understand the trustees met my predecessor in April 2013 and were very clear on the challenges facing the foundation. I also understand that this meeting involved a general discussion of all options to maximise support, including possible philanthropic support. However, I am not aware that the specifics of this particular sale were discussed and I was only informed of the decision last month, several months after the foundation entered into the agreement to have the paintings sold.

The Beit Foundation faces the same challenges that many historic homes in Ireland face. The Heritage Council budget dropped dramatically over a short period of time from €13.4 million in 2008 to €7.4 million in 2011, a reduction of 44%. The heritage capital budget allocation to my Department was also slashed during this period, from €26 million in 2008 to €1.9 million in the 2011 Estimates agreed by the last Government. This is a 92% cut, and it is the baseline from which my Department has had to operate. These cutbacks severely constrained both my Department and the Heritage Council, which my Department funds, in continuing to provide support for investment in our built heritage. Previously, the Heritage Council had provided just over €2.1 million for works to Russborough House since 2002. In 2005 the Heritage Council published the conservation plan for Russborough House as a first step in providing a framework and a vision for the estate into the future. My Department, through the local authority conservation grant scheme also funded conservation works at Russborough House to the tune of €8,000 in 2010.

Earlier this year I established a steering group on historic houses, co-chaired by my Department and the Irish Historic Houses Association. As we all know, it takes tireless effort and commitment to maintain an historic house, for which I am sure there is very little financial reward. Indeed, I am well aware that the upkeep and maintenance of an historic house is a labour of love.I have asked the steering group to present me with an action plan to safeguard the future of historic houses which I look forward to considering. I hope this plan will help to establish a template for how the State can support these houses into the future.

There has been much talk about restoring the heritage fund. That fund, established by the Heritage Fund Act of 2001, allowed the national cultural institutions to purchase rare and outstanding heritage items such as manuscripts, books and works of art. The Act provided for a total fund of €12.697 million over a five year period. No money has been added to the fund since 2005. Of course I would love to top up this fund but I am balancing competing demands with a reduced budget due to the current financial reality. I also understand that new primary legislation will be necessary to enable a new heritage fund to be established.

In conclusion, I am grateful for the opportunity to address this important matter in the Seanad today. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the trustees of the Alfred Beit Foundation. During our meeting, the trustees outlined the substantial work they have done in drawing up a master plan for the house to secure its future. It is clear that the trustees are very sincere and committed in their personal efforts to secure the future of Russborough House and to live up to the wishes of Sir Alfred and Lady Beit. It is important to point out that the trustees do all of this work on a voluntary basis.