Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys will on Wednesday meet the trustees of the Alfred Beit Foundation for discussions on how a number of valuable paintings can be kept at Russborough House in Co Wicklow.

The meeting was scheduled before a High Court decision on Tuesday which found the National Gallery did not have the authority to issue export licences to allow the Beit paintings to be sold in London.

The sale of most of the paintings at Christie’s was postponed after a controversy about their export developed in June.

At Wednesday’s meeting the views of a working group of officials from the Department of Arts, Department of Tourism and the Office of Public Works about the best strategy to keep the paintings in Ireland will be considered. The foundation has said it needs a fund of €15 million for the ongoing maintenance of Russborough House.

Export licences

In the High Court, the Department of Arts settled a case taken against it by An Taisce which argued that the export licences were unlawful.

After the decision, Ms Humphreys signed a relevant statutory instrument to restore the power of the National Gallery to issue licences. She said her department was still considering the wider issues.

An Taisce said most of the Beit paintings were only withdrawn from auction following the lodgement of its legal action. The case exposed the failure to establish an effective export licence regime, it added.