David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am not saying that Senator O'Donnell did. However, we should move forward and look at what can be done. We should look at the Castletown experience. That was saved by Desmond and Mariga Guinness. It was handed over then to the Office of Public Works to administer, a very happy conjunction. I believe this is what should happen again.

Reference has been made to the £1.4 million. I do not believe for a minute that Christie's will exercise the clause in the contract. Christie's would disgrace themselves on the international market and everyone would be saying that Christie's are stinkers. I do not believe that it would happen. The Minister met them and offered to discuss the matter with the trustees if they could defer it. I very much welcome that.

Senator Leyden referred to the Hugh Lane row. What a position this puts Ireland in with regard to the Lane pictures. It is absolutely daft to be demanding them back from England on the one hand while we are selling masterpieces in London on the other. These are important pictures. They are the kernel of the catalogue. There is talk about the superb provenance and the great international significance of these paintings.

A letter was published in The Irish Timesby Patrick Guinness. It was a very thoughtful and carefully balanced letter. He said that it was sad the foundation did not engage fully with the wider community and so on, and that they should undertake a travelling exhibition of these paintings. He makes the point that the Iveagh Bequest or Kenwood House in London did this and raised substantial amounts of money. He suggested that we could do this in 2018 or 2019, giving us three or four years of a lead-in time. That would really help with the situation.

On the one hand, one understands the position of the Alfred Beit Foundation and the fact that it cannot trade recklessly; it is bound not to in a certain financial situation. However, why, in the name of God, did those involved not bring this to the Minister's attention or to public attention? I remember when important classical paintings were being sold by one of the great houses in England, a public subscription was raised to buy them. I know these are difficult times, but there could have been fund-raising events and so on and certain amounts of money could be raised to keep things going for the time being.

I hope the Minister has the powers Senator Leyden says she has, and, if she has them, I hope she exercises them. I hope this never happens again. I wish to disassociate myself from remarks demeaning the National Gallery or, in a partisan sense, attacking the Minister. The situation is too serious. We need to go forward. We need to try to ensure that these things are kept for the people and displayed.