I raise this matter of the recent sad events in the Chester Beatty Library, because out of all disasters something positive should be looked for. I hope, as a result of inviting the Taoiseach — I understand it will be his representative, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice — to indicate the full extent of the burglary and the very definite steps which will be taken by the Taoiseach as the Minister responsible for cultural affairs and as the ultimate guardian of this very valuable gift to the nation, that security at the library will be improved.
The reason I asked for this debate is that the response to the break-in, as reported in the newspapers, from the board of trustees leaves me extremely worried. In addition, as a Member of the House who has taken a particular interest in the Chester Beatty Library since I was elected in 1987, the way in which the library has been generally run gives me cause for concern. In particular, the views of the previous director given emphatically to the board of trustees was to the effect that the garden library in the buildings themselves was not a secure location for the housing of valuable items of the collection.
The present exhibition, from which the robbery took place, was known as the "Treasures of the Chester Beatty Library". Access was gained through French doors leading from the concourse to the library building secured by an alarm and grille over glass. The cabinet of display had single pane glass with no alarm system connected to it. As a result, entry was made quickly and items were literally grabbed and disappeared. Consequently, it appears that the decision to house the items in this location was a bad one in the face of very definite opinions, including those of members of the Garda Siochána who previously visited the library and gave their view with regard to the suitability of this location.
The second cause of concern was the reaction of the acting director, reported in the media, that the break-in was "a minor one". That seems to play down the potential scale of the disaster which might have occurred if the raiders had had an opportunity to spend a longer time on the premises. It was also an attempt to play down the intrinsic value and international uniqueness of the collection; even one item — big or small — lost seriously damages our reputation as the custodian of this important collection.
There was also an attempt to suggest that the items were not of great monetary value. I read a suggestion that the items were of no more than academic interest. All this makes me worry as to why we have had an acting director for upwards of two years and that a director has not been appointed, why the recommendations of Mr. O'Donnell of the ESB, who made particular recommendations in terms of security have not been taken on board and, more particularly, why his recommendations in regard to the trustees themselves have not been taken on board and implemented even to this day.
The Government subvent the management and running of the Chester Beatty Library to the tune of almost 80 per cent on an annual basis and it is time to have a more open management of the library and some mechanism whereby this House, on whose behalf the trustees mind the collection, can be advised periodically of how the library's affairs are being run and developed and where matters stand in relation to the safe keeping of these treasures.
I hope in raising this matter — and in the response of the Minister of State — we will have a positive reaction to a very unfortunate event in relation to this internationally important collection.
