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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 May 1991

Vol. 408 No. 4

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Gallery.

Michael Bell

Question:

1 Mr. Bell asked the Taoiseach the names and dates of appointment of each member of the National Gallery of Ireland Board of Governors and Guardians; the date of expiry of each such appointment; by whom nominations are made; the number of vacancies on the board at the moment and the length of time such vacancies have existed; the extent of the involvement of the gallery in the exhibition of their collections outside Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to circulate in the Official Report a statement which sets out the data sought in relation to the Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland.

The National Gallery of Ireland facilitates exhibitions outside of Dublin by way of giving professional advice and providing loans from their collections when such exhibitions are considered to be organised to an adequate standard and where security and consideration facilities meet the criteria considered to be appropriate by the Director and professional staff of the National Gallery.

The gallery are to be commended for mounting an excellent programme of exhibitions, drawing on their own collections and other material, during Dublin's year as "European City of Culture".

Following is the statement:

Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland

The Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland may have up to 17 members, of whom five are ex officio, two are delegated by the Royal Hibernian Academy, and ten may be appointed by the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach's nominees are appointed for a period of five years which may be renewed. The dates indicated below are in all cases the most recent date of appointment to the board and, in the case of the Taoiseach's appointees, their term of appointment will expire five years from the date indicated below.

The ex officio members are: The President of the Royal Dublin Society. (At present Professor Dervilla Donnelly — appointed in December 1989); The Senior Vice President of the Royal Dublin Society. (At present Mr. Seán Tinney — appointed in December 1990); The President of the Royal Hibernian Academy. (At present Mr. Thomas Ryan — originally appointed in January 1981 as an RHA delegate and confirmed in his appointment on becoming President of the RHA in October 1982); The President of the Royal Irish Academy. (At present Professor Aidan Clarke — appointed in March 1990); and the Chairman of the Office of Public Works. (At present Mr. John Mahony — appointed in May 1988).

The Board members appointed by the Taoiseach are: Sir Alfred Beit (appointed on 28 February 1987); Professor Gerard Doyle (appointed on 9 February 1988); Mr. W.D. Finlay (appointed on 7 April 1989); Mr. Gordon Lambert (appointed on 9 February 1988); Mr. Ciaran Mac-Gonigal (appointed on 9 January 1989); Lord Moyne (appointed on 11 July 1990); and Dr. Tony Ryan (appointed on 5 February 1987).

The RHA delegates are: Mr. James Nolan (appointed in February 1988); Mr. Noel de Chenu (appointed in December 1989).

There are at present three vacancies on the board, dating respectively from April and October 1990 and from January 1991.

Will the Taoiseach outline to the House which member of the Government is responsible for the nomination and appointment of members of the board of governors of the gallery?

The board consists of a number of ex officio members, nominees from the RHA and a number of members appointed by the Taoiseach.

Michael Bell

Question:

2 Mr. Bell asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the financial performance of the bookshop in the National Gallery in each year from 1986 to 1990; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to circulate in the Official Report a tabular statement indicating the sales and profit margins of the National Gallery's bookshop. The statement relates to each year from 1986 to 1989, inclusive. Audited figures for 1990 are not yet available.

All earnings from the operations of the gallery's bookshop are used in the gallery's publication programme. I commend the gallery for that programme and also for its initiative in stocking its shop with popular reproductions of works of art, calendars, diaries, greeting cards and other gifts of a tasteful and relatively inexpensive nature.

Following is the statement:

Bookshop of the National Gallery of Ireland

Year

Sales

Profit-(Loss)

£

£

1986

274,063

(3,886)

1987

354,615

3,048

1988

318,678

4,627

1989

342,411

44,928

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