Liam Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 565: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if progress has been made in relation to the return of confiscated artwork to a person (details supplied). [14619/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The person in question, in common with a number of other Irish artists submitted works for an exhibition in Bled (Slovenia) in late 2001. After the exhibition the artwork was not returned. The organiser of the exhibition failed to return works by many exhibitors from several countries, allegedly as many as 1,000 pieces, and the organiser is in consequence the subject of criminal proceedings.

The Embassy in Ljubljana made representations on several occasions to secure the return of the works of Irish exhibitors and in 2004 the Slovenian authorities informed the Embassy that the works of several Irish exhibitors, including that of the person in question, had been recovered and were available for collection. The Embassy informed the person in question and other Irish exhibitors of the situation and asked for addresses, etc. to enable the works to be returned to them by the Slovenian authorities.

Where forwarding names and addresses were received, including that of the person in question, the Embassy gave the Slovenian authorities the necessary information for them to return the works to their respective owners. Having heard nothing more at the time, the Embassy concluded that the issue was disposed of.

Following representations to me from the Deputy in late March 2007, the Embassy in Ljubljana again raised the matter with the Slovenian authorities. The Embassy was informed that although the work had been forwarded on two separate occasions by the local Court to the address provided by the person in question, on both occasions it had been returned to the Court by the post. It is now being forwarded by the Court to the Irish Embassy in Ljubljana, and on receipt will be forwarded by the Embassy to its owner.