Vol. 383 No. 4
asked the Taoiseach where the Augusta Bender Memorial Room in the National Museum is at present located; when it was last opened to the public; when it is likely to be reopened to the public; if he will give details of the terms and conditions under which this collection of oriental art was accepted by the then Taoiseach, Mr. Éamonn De Valera, on behalf of the Irish people in the thirties; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
5.
asked the Taoiseach if he has satisfied himself that sufficient care and attention is provided for the preservation of the 1916 collection in the National Museum, Dublin 2; and when the 1916 room in the National Museum will be reopened to the public.
6.
asked the Taoiseach if he has satisfied himself with the preservation arrangements of the furniture collection in the National Museum, Dublin 2; where this collection is located at present in the museum; and when the furniture collection room will be reopened to the public.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4, 5 and 6 together.
The Augusta Bender collection of Far Eastern artefacts was presented to the Irish people in 1934 and was on display in a specific room until 1973 when it had to be stored to facilitate work on the museum building.
An extensive programme of renovation and refurbishment has been underway at the National Museum over a number of years. This programme includes the rewiring of the building as well as structural works to eradicate a serious outbreak of dry rot. A programme of refurbishment is now in hands to enable the greater part of the building to be re-opened on a phased basis over the next year or so.
The development of a museum of decorative arts at the Custom House Docks site is also being planned. It is proposed to include the Bender collection in the new displays to be mounted at this location.
The room in which the 1916 collection of the National Museum was housed was closed to the public in 1987 to allow for extensive rewiring. The displays are being reconstituted at present. It is hoped to reopen the exhibition to the public by Easter, 1989.
In relation to the furniture collection, the galleries where the collection was formerly displayed have been closed to public for some time to allow for the eradication of dry rot and for rewiring. It is not proposed, in view of financial and staffing constraints, to reconstitute the furniture display on an interim basis in Kildare Street pending the relocation of the collection to the new museum of decorative arts at the Custom House Dock site.
The difficulties regarding display of important material, including the furniture collection and the Augusta Bender collection are fully recognised by the Government. It is against this background that a major portion of what is called Stack A in the Custom House Docks site has been allocated to House the National Museum's Art and industry collections including the aforementioned collections. In the meantime, the staff of the National Museum ensure the care and preservation of the collections under their responsibility to the highest standards possible.
I regret that the Tánaiste saw fit to take these three questions together because they were separate and distinct. Will he say whether failure to display the Augusta Bender collection — one of the most important and valuable collections of oriental art in western Europe — represents or reflects a lack of Government sophistication in regard to the arts in general? Will the Tánaiste say why the 1916 collection has been under lock and key for the past two years?
I share the Deputy's concern in regard to the importance of these collections but I thought I had fully answered his queries. The new museum of decorative arts will be linked with the National Museum to cater for precisely the situation Deputy Enright raised. There is overcrowding, a lack of proper place for display and a number of other factors in the existing galleries and we can make arrangements, particularly in regard to industry collections, which would be very appropriate to the proposed development at the Custom House Docks site where place is being made available and plans being prepared. There will be a new museum located there which will fit in with the National Museum. That is a constructive approach to the matter and seems to be the most positive arrangement.
In view of the fact that the furniture collection in the museum is not covered, that articles are heaped one on top of the other and that it has been damaged because of problems regarding air control and damp, will the Tánaiste say why so few people are working there? I have been in there on a number of occasions and I noticed that only one or two people seemed to be working on this project. Is the Tánaiste aware that the Augusta Bender collection was supposed to be permanently and publicly displayed? Why are the Government not meeting their commitments to the benefactor in this regard?
I will not enter into a debate on this matter because the arts are non-political. Undoubtedly, there has been neglect over the years and we now have a chance to do something about that by relocating substantial collections which cannot be displayed at present in the National Museum because of lack of space. The two museum presentations will be maintained with a different emphasis on the Custom House Docks site from the one in the National Museum. There is no reason for not having two entities of that kind as the space is available and planning is underway. There is no point in talking here about it, the Government are doing something about it.
The Tánaiste may recall that on previous occasions the Taoiseach said that he would consider a proposal in the long term that the Custom House would become the headquarters for the National Museum. Have there been any developments in that respect? The proposal, in essence, would mean the transfer of the entire National Museum to the Custom House. Of course, I do not want to get rid of the Minister for the Environment——
That option is still open and there will be sufficient space to do what Deputy Quinn mentioned. We can proceed, stage by stage, in the matter. We can first deal with the situation which Deputy Enright mentioned regarding the bad condition of particular collections and rehouse them. Ultimately, the option mentioned by Deputy Quinn will be open to whatever Government are in office to make that decision.
Arising from the Tánaiste's comments about the Augusta Bender collection — a very important collection of oriental art — when will the most recently acquired collection of Saudi Arabian art be put on view in the National Museum?
I take it that the Deputy is being flippant.
It is a very serious question.
In view of the newspaper publicity to the effect that the Seanad was to be moved to the National Museum complex, will the Tánaiste indicate whether it could be jointly accommodated with this collection?
That is a separate question.
Let us have serious questions. I will hear a brief supplementary from Deputy Enright.
I listened with interest to the Tánaiste's replies about moving sections of the museum to the Custom House Docks site. On previous occasions the staff in the museum were told they were being allocated space in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, but those undertakings were not honoured. What timescale has the Tánaiste in mind to have these items put on display at the Custom House Docks site? Is it a two year period?
It will definitely be incorporated in the next phase of development at the Custom House Docks site which should, in practical terms, be within the next two years. The proposal regarding the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, was also examined but it is not centrally located and we have now taken the decision to proceed as outlined in my original reply. I am aware of the lack of progress for many years but now something is being done and let us get on with it.
