Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Expenditure and Reform, Deputy O'Donovan, to the House.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for accepting this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. As he knows, 22 August will be the 100th anniversary of the death of General Michael Collins. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste will address the annual Béal na Bláth commemoration on Sunday, 21 August, as a sign of reconciliation in this decade of centenaries. It is perhaps reflective of the new reality of politics in this country in the context of a coalition Government involving the two great rivals. As the Minister of State will also know, the monument to Daniel O'Connell, the great liberator, was erected in 1880. He was famous for his role in Catholic emancipation and as a pacifist. It is extraordinary even with that passage of time we still have no national monument in Dublin to General Michael Collins or, indeed, to many other of the great heroes of our War of Independence, whether they are Cathal Brugha, Countess Markievicz, William T. Cosgrave or Éamon de Valera. There is no reflection and commemoration in Dublin, our capital city, to these great heroes of our independence.

It is now timely after 100 years and at this point in the decade of commemorations to change that. We should not be ashamed of our past. We should remember it. Young people, in particular, should be able to remember and know what has happened in this country and in our past. Monuments and statues should not be divisive. They should be reflective of our history. This issue was raised yesterday in the Dáil by my colleague, Deputy Phelan. The Taoiseach did not give a particularly informative answer on whether there are plans for a statue to General Collins. It is beholden on us now, as part of this decade of commemorations, that this be looked at seriously and plans put in place for it. The Minister of State might give answers in the context of his responsibility for the Office of Public Works. Is it his job or responsibility to commission a statue or monument? Is it something he can take upon himself or does it have to be agreed by Cabinet or the Taoiseach's office? Who has to give the go-ahead for something like this to be initiated?

So many school tours come to this Chamber and to the Dáil, they visit the Gallery in Leinster House, and they attend the National Gallery of Ireland or the National Library of Ireland. It would be a major addition for all those school tours that come to these buildings, as well as for active retirement groups and other visitors, that there would be a series of monuments or statues to the heroes I have identified as part of our struggle for independence in the general vicinity of Leinster House, whether it be Merrion Square or outside Government Buildings. General Collins was our first Minister for Finance. A monument in the general area of these buildings would be a fitting tribute for the benefit of all those who visit our capital city. It would be a sign of maturity regarding a changing Ireland in that we would finally accept that we have put the divisions in our country behind us, while reflecting on those people who fought for and achieved our independence. We see monuments to their heroes in every other country that has gained independence around the world. Quite rightly, we have seen monuments to Queen Victoria removed from Leinster House, but we have not got monuments to those who replaced her and struggled to get independence from the crown. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply regarding plans that he or the Government may have for fitting tributes.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Commencement matter the Senator raised. The Office of Public Works undertakes the acquisition of paintings, sculpture and drawings on behalf of the Department of the Taoiseach. To the Senator's first point, there are no plans at present for any additional sculptures, monuments or anything of that nature for anybody associated with the War of Independence or the Civil War because we have to await instruction from the Department of the Taoiseach.The OPW commences the acquisition process at the request of the Department of the Taoiseach and initiates management of the art project, be it a painted portrait or a sculpture, when this request has been received.

Since the foundation of the State, the OPW has been involved in managing portraits on behalf of successive Governments. There are several existing representations of Michael Collins in State ownership, including the iconic three-quarter-length portrait painted by renowned artist Leo Whelan in the entrance hall to Leinster House. It is on display in a prominent location and is on view to all members of the public. There is another representation of Michael Collins on view in the environs of Leinster House. His portrait accompanies those of Arthur Griffith and Kevin O'Higgins on the base of the cenotaph, a tall Wicklow granite obelisk that is located centrally on Leinster Lawn. The cenotaph, which was completed in 1950, was designed by OPW architects Raymond McGrath and Frederick Du Berry. The three portraits on its base were created by sculptor Laurence Campbell.

The OPW has been actively involved in marking the decade of centenaries across the many heritage properties it manages. Commemoration ceremonies, exhibitions, public tours, seminars and lectures and a wide variety of events have been held in Dublin and throughout the country at OPW-managed locations. I can advise the Senator that I have written to the Department of the Taoiseach earlier this year regarding a national monument to commemorate Michael Collins, a matter that was raised at an OPW-facilitated venue in Woodfield in County Cork where the diaries of Michael Collins were presented to the National Archives by the Collins family. This matter was raised then and has been raised continually. It has been raised with us by community groups, Members of the Oireachtas, Ministers and others, but, unfortunately, I have no news about whether this project will proceed.

Deputy Ó Cuív and I represent our respective parties on the all-party committee on commemorations that advised the expert working group. This matter was discussed by that committee. Deputy Ó Cuív and I are of the view that three people who, in the early days of the State, were either leaders of the provisional Government or the national Government after the treaty and who lost their lives in quick succession - Arthur Griffith, Cathal Brugha and Michael Collins - all deserve to be commemorated. The Senator is right. Michael Collins is commemorated in the context of his role as Minister for Finance in the form of a coin has been issued by the Central Bank. He will be commemorated in the context of his role as a post office clerk in the form of a stamp that is due to be issued at a later date. I know of nowhere in world - the democratic world certainly - where the leader of a democratic nation who was assassinated is not the subject of a national commemoration. That happens in all democratic countries across the world. As Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, it is my view that it should happen here.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his very frank response. I was not at the event in Woodfield. I know from media reports it was suggested that a statue would be commissioned. Did the Taoiseach give a commitment on that day that a statue should be commissioned or that he would look into the matter? According to the Minister of State, the Taoiseach has not requested that the Minister of State look into this matter and commission a statue. Is the Minister of State saying that the OPW would be quite happy to commission sculptures, monuments or other pieces of work to commemorate General Collins, Cathal Brugha, Arthur Griffith and others if the Department of the Taoiseach were to make a request that this be done? The Minister of State said he wrote to the Department of the Taoiseach and there was no reply. Has he even received an acknowledgment of that letter to the Department of the Taoiseach. Is it his intention to follow up on the Taoiseach's plans?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The answer to the Senator's final question is "Yes". It is my intention to follow it up because we are inundated with requests from community groups. In some cases, community groups even volunteer to gift us statues. As the State organisation that looks after commemorative events and sites, we cannot take statues. There is a process and protocol that must be gone through because otherwise it would be at the whim of the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW to put up everything and anything across the country. There must be a process. Michael Collins was a democratically elected head of State and Government. In my estimation, he must be commemorated. That will either happen in the short or medium term, but I believe it will happen.

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan from the Cork South-West constituency raised the issue on behalf of his constituents and said this issue needs to brought to national prominence and that it is not appropriate for community groups for do it. The advisory group gave advice on the decade of centenaries, but it is ultimately up to the Government to govern. In my estimation, the first democratic head of Government has still not been properly commemorated. This must be rectified.