Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport if she has consulted with any public art galleries on whether they have the ability to house and would like to acquire any artworks currently held by Irish Banks that are entirely State owned or in nominally private institutions, the main shareholder and guarantor of which are the Irish people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44016/10]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 152 of 10 November 2010 and noting that an Irish bank (details supplied) is auctioning its art collection on 26 November 2010, if she will request the State owned and nominally private institutions to seek to transfer these collections to public galleries to ensure such collections are available to the public on a continuous basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44015/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 43 together.

I refer the Deputy to my previous replies on this matter. There is concern that the sale of Irish art works by the organisations referred to would depress an already troubled market place for Irish art. I have pointed this out to the Bank of Ireland and, emphasised the deflationary and displacement impact which the sale of a significant body of contemporary art would have on the market here and, in particular, on emerging artists. In response, that Bank has donated a number of the more significant works of its collection to the State.

It is a matter for the Board of the Bank of Ireland and the Boards of other similar organisations to decide further on these matters. I have also written to the Chairman of Allied Irish Banks regarding that institution's collection of art. I do not believe that its collection should be disposed of either and have asked that the institution enter a dialogue with us on public access to its extensive collection.