Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide a list of art works purchased by the OPW over the past ten years; the cost of each individual work of art; the locations at which these art works are on display; if they are all available to public viewing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15862/10]

Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)
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In the past decade, the majority of art works commissioned and purchased by the OPW have been funded under the Government's per cent for art scheme. These include paintings, limited edition original prints, sculpture, mixed media installations, lens based and multi-disciplinary art, music and poetry.

The per cent for art scheme has been Government policy since 1997 and the publication 'Public Art: Per Cent for Art Scheme, General National Guidelines - 2004', encourages every public body delivering capital construction projects to implement the scheme. Limits apply to funding available under the per cent for art scheme, with the maximum art budget for projects in excess of €12.7 million, being €64,000. The OPW has been committed to implementing this policy and adheres to the practices set out in the National Guidelines.

The majority of commissioned art works are on public view, and these are located in public offices throughout the country. OPW works in co-operation with the Arts Council and local arts officers in implementing the scheme. Art projects have been commissioned for such diverse locations as Dublin Zoo, Nenagh Courthouse, the Broadcasting Commission, the National Library, Northside Civic Centre, Oranmore Garda Station, Tralee Ship Canal, amongst many others. There are over 70 commissioned works listed on the OPW art database currently, ranging in cost from €10,000 to the maximum amount of €64,000.

The OPW Art Management Office is currently engaged in a major inventory project, due for completion in December 2010. There are currently over 12,000 art works and decorative objects listed on the OPW art database. These range from historic painted portrait series in locations such as the Royal Hospital Kilmainham and Kilkenny Castle to art works purchased from graduate shows in recent years under the per cent for art scheme. The OPW has currently catalogued almost 5,000 art works and art projects for the period 2000 to 2009. It is planned to publish an up-to-date catalogue of works commissioned and purchased between 2006 and 2010 in the autumn next year. This catalogue will be the latest in the series 'Art in State Buildings' that currently documents the collection from 1922 to 2005. Copies of the 'Art in State Buildings' catalogue are available from the OPW Art Management Office and they have been made widely available, free of charge, to researchers, public libraries, schools and colleges.

The Art Management Office also organises a touring exhibition of art works annually in co-operation with the Department of Finance and Personnel of Northern Ireland. These exhibitions bring art works, both historical and contemporary, from both collections to a wider audience. A catalogue is also published to accompany this exhibition that provides information on the artists and their work which is distributed free of charge to visitors to the exhibition. Since 1991, these OPW-managed exhibitions have visited numerous arts centres, colleges and heritage properties in almost every county on the island of Ireland.

The OPW also lends art works to exhibitions organised by other arts organisations. For example, both IMMA and the RHA have borrowed works in recent times. Artists and their galleries also request the loan of their works for retrospective exhibitions, and the OPW facilitates these requests on a regular basis.

The nature of the overall collection, including art works purchased, is that it is mobile. Art works move from location to location as buildings are refurbished. An art work purchased for the collection can have had numerous homes over the years, and many pieces have moved several times since acquisition. At any given time, a couple of hundred pieces are in the OPW art store, and these works are generally awaiting conservation, reframing, or are between moves from one building to another. Apart from the large-scale commissioned projects and the art works on permanent exhibition in the heritage properties, the location of art works is generally not published for two specific reasons; the security of the art works, and the fact that the collection is mobile. While few of the art works acquired under the per cent for art scheme are currently of major financial value, the fact that they are so easily accessible makes them vulnerable to damage, loss and theft, unlike those in the collection of a cultural institution with constant invigilation. It is also the case that the location of a work can change within a short period of time, making any published location record obsolete quite quickly.