Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will give an assurance that the art collection located in Allied Irish Banks will not be sold; his views that since the State is a major shareholder in Allied Irish Banks, it is only appropriate that this shareholder should be consulted on the future of the art collection; if he considers it appropriate that since this collection is effectively owned by the State it should be available for viewing by the general public; the action he plans to take to ensure that the collection is made available for public viewing [42026/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that the Deputy also put down a similar question to my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture who will respond regarding matters relevant to her functional area. The State, at present, holds, through the National Pensions Reserve Fund, some 18% of the ordinary equity in the bank. Notwithstanding this and the expectation that this stake will increase substantially, the day to day management of the bank will remain on a normal commercial basis and the management of assets by Allied Irish Banks (AIB), including the holding or displaying of artworks will remain a matter for the board of the bank.

I understand from enquiries made that no discussions have taken place in relation to the sale or future plans for the AIB Art collection. This collection is described as a 'working' collection and pieces are located at offices and branches across Ireland and in AIB international offices.

AIB operates an active policy of lending pieces, on request, to galleries across Ireland for exhibitions. In the last two years, it has stepped up this lending programme, which it intends to continue, with the objective of bringing the collection to a wider audience and supporting the arts in the communities.