David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Mac Conghail's amendment. I feel strongly about this issue. The Egyptians are maintaining he is an Egyptian citizen but the position of Ireland should clearly be that he is an Irish citizen. If they want a tug of war, we should give it to them.

I support the call for a debate on Greece. There should be an inquiry into the role played by Goldman Sachs in the initial entry of Greece into the eurozone. There is a lot more that could be said but I will not bother with it today.

I raise the issue of the Beit pictures. Sir Alfred and Lady Beit are on record as saying they wanted these pictures specifically to be kept in Ireland. They wanted them exhibited to the Irish people. Russborough has never exhibited them. Instead, the foundation attempted to put them secretly into an auction. They also sold an old master painting off the walls to a Russian oligarch. I suggest that they now be offered, on loan, to the municipal gallery for exhibition to the people of Ireland. It is a very fine gallery. It has half the Hugh Lane pictures, and I believe people would very much appreciate it.I also think it is about time something positive was done for the northside of Dublin. Unfortunately, I have not been able to contact the municipal gallery. I telephoned on a number of occasions but its telephone system seems to be out of order. I ask the Leader to send a note to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, on this matter, asking that the Beit paintings, including the Rubens and the other paintings, are made available to the municipal gallery for exhibition to the people of Dublin. These paintings have never been seen and it is about time that this gift was exhibited in the proper manner.