The purpose of this Bill and of any Bill dealing with works of art and their display should be to have them displayed for the people generally and for that reason I cannot understand the reason for paragraph (a) of this section which provides for the lending of works of art for display in the official residence of the President. That is a place very infrequently visited by members of the public of this State. In fact, it is very infrequently visited by members of either House of the Oireachtas for the simple reason that they are never invited. I do not think that is one of the places where these works should be exhibited. Some visitors from abroad, unless they are very distinguished visitors and unless they are invited to the residence, will never have an opportunity of seeing works of art on display there.
I am in full agreement with paragraph (c) which provides for the display of works of art in other premises or property of the State in Ireland or abroad and in that connection I suggest that advantage be taken of the spacious rooms of the RDS for exhibitions of our works of art. It is a place very frequently visited by our people and also by visitors from abroad who would probably have little or no access to any other institutions or places of a semi-public nature. During the Spring Show and the Horse Show, if space could be made available in the RDS premises for exhibitions of these works of art, we would do a considerable lot to publicise them.
I certainly cannot see why they should be exhibited in the official residence of the President of Ireland. I do not want to object to the decorating of the President's residence but we vote considerable sums of money, upwards of £50,000 annually, for that purpose. If we are to bury some of our works of art there, they will be on view only to a very small number of official visitors to the President. Of course, some of the undesirables, such as the Maximoes, may get to see them, but only a very small minority of visitors to this country will get an opportunity. The President's residence is not an ideal place to exhibit our works of art. I think the Minister, under subsection (7) should make some arrangement with the RDS to put on display there bi-annually pictures which have too long been buried.