Chester Beatty Library Bill, 1985 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mrs. A. Doyle)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

The purpose of this Bill is to enable the Commissioners of Public Works to carry out work on the maintenance, repair, upkeep, restoration and improvement of the Chester Beatty Library. The Chester Beatty Library, situated at Shrewsbury Road, Dublin, is a private collection of object d'art bequeathed to a board of trustees for the use and enjoyment of the public by the late Sir Alfred Chester Beatty on his death in 1986. The collection, which by international standards is unique, includes treasures from European, Islamic and Oriental civilisiations — ancient papyri and clay tablets, manuscripts, rare texts, minature Arabic paintings, Chinese jade books and many other items.

Sir Alfred's legacy did not include any financial provision for the operating and maintenance costs of the library. In view of the uniqueness of the collection the State has grant-aided the library since the establishment of the trust in 1968. An amount representing between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of the operating and maintenance cost is annually grant-aided to the trust. This came to £189,000 in 1985.

As the House can appreciate, the proper maintenance and upkeep of the buildings which house the collection pose many problems. In order to ensure that many fragile and priceless objects do not depreciate, it is essential to maintain variations in temperature, humidity and light within strict limits. Because of this and the need to maintain a high standard of upkeep of the buildings themselves, the Government decided to entrust the maintenance and upkeep of the library to the Office of Public Works who have experience in dealing with similar problems over the years in the National Museum and the National Gallery. Since, however, the buildings that house the Chester Beatty collection are not public buildings, legislation is necessary to enable the Commissioners to incur expenditure on the library and the Bill provides for this.

It also contains a clause enabling the Minister for Finance to recoup to the trustees costs already incurred on certain works at the premises. These works, already undertaken by the Commissioners of Public Works and paid for by the trustees, include roof repairs and security measures. The amount involved is approximately £50,000. I commend the Bill to the House.

Mr. Lyons

In times of economic depression there is a feeling of hopelessness in the community. In many instances there is a lack of employment and a lack of direction towards the elimination of unemployment. We may come under some criticism for alocating £50,000 to carry out the necessary works at the Chester Beatty Library. It would be a gross error if we were to abandon works of art of our own culture or of other cultures. I see no difficulty in agreeing on the need to ensure that the treasures housed in this building are safeguarded. The Bill is principally about the condition of the building and to ensure that the proper temperature, humidity, lighting and whatever else are provided to maintain these treasures in the best possible condition. Their safekeeping will enhance their quality and value. In time to come other generations will give us credit for this. In times of economic difficulty one might be permitted to say that our priorities have not been correct in many cases in the eighties and particularly in 1986. If I were to list my priorities I would list unemployment, the creation of jobs, expanding our industrial base and the improvement of our agriculture. At the same time it would be incorrect of us not to agree with the Minister's proposal.

I wish the new Minister well in her office. I apologise for not saying that at the outset. There is an old cliché that a new broom sweeps clean. I hope the new Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works will endeavour to eradicate the undeserved slanted view that is taken of the Office of Public Works generally. Each of us knows that the public perception of the Office of Public Works is not the best. That is putting it mildly. I regret to say that much of that is directed at the members in the public works section, the tradespeople and their assistants. If there is some tightening up to be done, or if there is overlapping at supervisory or higher levels, I am sure the new Minister will ensure that it is done. I would like the Minister to change the incorrect view taken of the Office of Public Works and their staff.

I have been in the House for a good part of the evening and to the surprise of many Deputies I have not mentioned my native heath. I am going to do it now.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

On the Chester Beatty Library Bill.

Mr. Lyons

Absolutely. The staff of the Office of Public Works will be carrying out that work. There are about 25 members of that staff in the Cork area but they will not be involved in this work. I would like the Minister to assure those members of her Department in the Cork area that they will not be shoved sideways, gobbled up or integrated into the local authority. I would like that to be crystal clear because concern is being expressed to me by those members.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The Deputy is going away from the Bill.

Mr. Lyons

I have been talking about the staff who will do this work. They come under the aegis of the Office of Public Works. I am expressing the concern of my constituents employed in this Office.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

In the Chester Beatty Bill?

Mr. Lyons

No. They are employed in the Office who are accepting responsibility for the maintenance, unkeep and repair of the library.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Is the Deputy persisting?

Mr. Lyons

I am because it is important that I would know that from the Minister of State so that the fears of the staff of this Department in the city of Cork can be alleged. Is their future assured? I want the Minister of State in her reply to the Bill to establish that there is no danger of the workforce being reduced, diminished, moved sideways or embodied with a local authority as has been suggested. I support the Bill.

Mr. V. Brady

First, I should like to join with all Deputies in acknowledging the tremendous gifts which have been bequeathed to the State over the years. This particular collection in the Chester Beatty Library is one of the finest examples of how fortunate this country has been as a result of the good and kind thoughts of the many friends of Ireland, many of them foreigners. I often wonder if we as a nation appreciate what these people have done for us. We do not express our appreciation as fully as we should in areas of this nature.

This Bill, while it deals with specific aspects of the Chester Beatty Library, goes part of the way towards putting a very positive and definite onus of responsibility on the Office of Public Works. One of the questions my colleague asked was whether we have sufficiently qualified people in the Office of Public Works to undertake this responsibility. We all know that there are some very special qualities and expertise required in maintaining various collections of art in their original and finest forms. This expertise is not very large in most parts of the world. Would the Minister of State in her reply indicate the type of expertise we have and how it will be focussed in regard to the Chester Beatty Library hall.

I would point out also that the Office of Public Works have done very well in many other areas. We have all seen the fine examples of the maintenance and restoration work they have carried out. I would like to refer to one of those examples which is in my own constituency, the Casino in Marino. This is a very fine example of restoration work carried out by the people employed by the board. It has taken a long time but the finished work is something we can all be proud of. Having asked the question originally of the Minister of State, I am sure that we do have the people because that restoration work is one of the finest I have seen. It did involve considerable time. We have been approaching this type of thing in a very irregular fashion through no fault of ours obviously because we have not had the opportunities. I hope that from now on we will become much more involved in the art world and come to appreciate the various collections that may be on display in our different cities.

On this aspect, I would like to mention the question of promotion within schools and colleges. This has not been embarked upon very widely. I would like to see much more interest being generated within our schools where young people would be encouraged to visit in groups the various museums, art galleries and the Chester Beatty collection which is the subject of this Bill. While tours are a very popular facet of school life there is an inclination nowadays to concentrate on other more popular areas of interest. I would, therefore, hope that we will find some way of encouraging various groups, not only groups from colleges and schools but also residents groups and associations. People very often do not think about art. I have heard on many occasions of people visiting collections in other countries and expressing amazement and wonder. Quite often, they say, "it is a pity we do not have something like that in our own country". We have. That is why I would like to see a situation where promotion would be undertaken on a much wider scale. This is something which the Minister of State's Department could look into.

There is very little in this Bill that one can find fault with. It is, as I say, the first step in what I hope will be an enlightened programme on the part of the Minister of State's Department to pursue much more cultural and artistic measures whether in museums or art galleries. We support the Bill fully.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mrs. A. Doyle)

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I would concur with most of their remarks though I am still trying to work out how we will get the OPW employees up from Cork to do the work on the roof of the Chester Beatty Library.

Mr. Lyons

What is happening to them in Cork?

Mrs. A. Doyle

I intend to stick strictly to the Bill. In a way, this is a simple Bill. It is an enabling Bill so that the State can look after the building which houses the treasure which has been given to us by the Chester Beatty Library. The discussion of the Bill will increase awareness generally in the minds of the public. I agree that this is very necessary. Hopefully, the collection will attract more school and resident groups, as Deputy Brady mentioned, to make better use of this beautiful treasure which has been bequeathed to the State.

Generaly, interpretative measures at centres such as this are on the increase. In any centre which is the responsibility of the Office of Public Works we are including audio visual material, literature, guides and displays of one kind or another to ensure that once people come and see our national monuments and our heritage generally they get full educational value from their visit. The Chester Beatty Library is run by trustees and management on those terms will still be up to the trustees. This Bill enables us to recoup the trustees on the one hand for money already expended on the building but also to spend on the library ourselves money that is necessary to protect the treasure which has been given to the State. I thank the Deputies on the opposite side for their co-operation.

I also thank the references to the fact that the Office of Public Works have hidden their laurels for far too long. In this area of heritage preservation I could not agree more. The Office of Public Works have done some magnificent work. It is only latterly that people are beginning to realise we have immense expertise in this area. We have had 150 years of experience in this type of undertaking. We have only to look at the Royal Hospital, the National Concert Hall and the National Gallery, where we have certain responsibilities, to see our architectural specialities and the fine work in this area which can be done. We can all rest assured that the experts will be looking after this matter from here on.

Question put and agreed to.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 10 Jun 1986