I am very pleased that we have at last reached the Committee Stage of the Chester Beatty Library Bill, 1985. We had a first-class Second Stage here in this House under the Minister's predecessor and, indeed, I welcome the Minister here this afternoon. This is a small Bill; others would have wished to have seen greater substance in it, but certainly as it applies to the Chester Beatty Library it will give legal authority to allow a lot of necessary work to proceed in that building to enhance it and to make it a more fitting museum for the stunning collection of treasures which it houses and, indeed, enhance it as a place for Irish people and so many tourists to go to study these oriental artifacts.
At the conclusion of the Second Stage it was suggested that we might have the Committee Stage of this Bill out at the Chester Beatty Library. Many of us felt that this was a most novel suggestion and one well worth pursuing. I am a little bit disappointed that it was not possible for us to do that. I wonder, a Leas-Chathaoirleach, if you could indicate to us why it was not possible, because we in this House may very soon be looking for a new home. Indeed, there has been talk that, in view of the length of the work involved in renovating this building, we may have to consider sitting elsewhere. For that reason also it would have been an interesting experiment to have taken the Committee Stage of this Bill elsewhere. I do not know, a Leas-Chathaoirleach, if you can make a statement as to why we were not able to take up the suggestion of Senator Dooge and conduct the Committee Stage in the Chester Beatty Library. I would be very interested to hear why it was not possible to do that.
In my Second Stage speech I paid tribute to the staff of the Chester Beatty Library, who were extremely helpful in getting me material for my Second Stage speech. It has subsequently come to my attention that much of the material which they gave to me has in fact been the work of Brian Kennedy who has worked with the Chester Beatty Library and I am very pleased that so many Senators enjoyed the speech that I made. Some of them recommended that it should be published as a separate pamphlet. I would echo those sentiments. I was very pleased to be able to use this material and would pay tribute ot Brian Kennedy for all the work and research that he has done.
We have some amendments down for Committee Stage of this Bill. They have been but down by Senator Fitzsimons. It will be interesting to hear him propose these amendments. For the moment I will await to see what he has to say about them.