Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and I thank her for coming in. Often we have calls from the Opposition for Ministers to come in but we cannot get Ministers in. It shows the seriousness with which this Minister views the situation. We are all on the same side, those on this side of the House and those on that side, in that everyone, including the Minister, wants the paintings to stay in Ireland. We need to ensure that we all work together to see what can be done, when it can be done and if it can be done. That is the most important thing. The court case is coming up and perhaps the Minister will be precluded from making any comment. If there are judicial proceedings, she may not be able to comment on it.

One of the paintings has been sold already. This means we have little time. After the board decision we had An Taisce jumping up and down. As Senator Maurice Cummins said, a member of An Taisce was on the board and that decision was made. Did they not discuss the matter before that? Did they not see it as proper to inform the Minister at the time? It is very late in the day to try to get the Minister to close the gate when the horse has bolted.

We need to examine how trusts are set up. We are all for the devolution of functions, including to local authorities and to the local possible denominator in the community, etc., but there is a problem if they have the power to sell one of our finest art collections at the drop of a hat to save a roof. We could get plenty of volunteer carpenters in to fix a hole in a roof, but who are we going to get in to do a painting by Rubens? No one, because it is irreplaceable. That is what we have to consider. Are there other means by which we can help the foundation to repair the house without selling the paintings? We should put that to the foundation. I am sure there are options - there must be - and we should all put our heads together.

Why was the perilous financial situation of the house not made known to the Minister? The Minister is powerless because the licence was granted by the National Gallery. I realise that a court case is under way to determine whether the licence was granted properly. Was the power given to the National Gallery? That is a question I would be looking at if I were the Minister. That is the matter of the court case. I hope a flaw is found in the argument and those involved will not be able to operate on the basis of the export licence. Many speakers have spoken about that.

Dr. Loughman from UCD criticised this as well. He raised the question of why more time and notice was not given to the Minister to look at this and to consider the options. Patrick Guinness from the Georgian Society, who is a godson of Lady Beit and a direct descendant of Arthur Guinness, said that funds should be raised by amalgamating the Russborough collection - Senator Norris said it as well - with the national collection and putting it all on a world tour. That is what he said. In the meantime, perhaps the Government could step in and fund that. Give the Government one of the paintings that are in Russborough House in lieu of taking a step in that direction and look at it that way. As Patrick Guinness said, it might not be an elegant solution but it could save us our art history.

All over the world people are talking about us letting it slip through our fingers. That is not directed at the Minister. If the Minister had known, she would have been in there. I gather Dr. Loughman said that the paintings were put on a world tour around America before the Irish people were told about it. That shows the respect that we have been given. Lady Beit said the paintings were in trust to the Irish people for the pleasure of the Irish people and not to be sold. That is on the Russborough House website. That is one thing we have to look at.We cannot expect the Minister to do the impossible if her hands are tied behind her back. The court will look at that as well. The paintings were given in 1976 “for the future enjoyment of the Irish people”. That is on the website of the house. Rosita Boland writing in TheIrish Timesrevealed that the Beits wished to have the collection remain intact in Russborough House. The Russborough House Trust has a lot to answer for in that it is not carrying out the wishes of Lord and Lady Beit. What is it there for? It cannot make its decisions. The house was given in trust. If it cannot keep the paintings it should put up its hands and say it cannot do its job any longer and the Minister could tell it to get out of the way, stand down and say she would do the job for the board, and do it better. The power should be given back to the Minister. It is too serious to leave it. I thank the Minister for her intervention. She should have been informed way in advance.