An Oireachtas committee has thrown out a petition to remove a statue of Prince Albert from the grounds of Leinster House.

The decision was partially reached on the fact the Dáil does not actually own the statue.

The Petitions Committee also said the artistic work should be appreciated despite the subject, after claims it was a relic of colonialism.

The statue has been in its current location, on the Merrion side of Leinster House, since 1923.

A petitioner had argued that the sculpture represents the history of British rule over Ireland.

Petitions Committee Chair Sean Sherlock argued that you do not need to tear out the pages of history to turn them over.

Deputy Sherlock said: "It is the view of this committee that the statue should absolutely and utterly remain.

"We are saying that, from a technical point of view, that the petition is deemed inadmissible, because it is seeking to ask us to do something that we do not have the power to do."

The statue was crafted by Irish sculptor John Henry Foley, best known for the Daniel O'Connell statue on O'Connell Street.

A Queen Victoria partner statue to the Leinster House Prince Albert was gifted to the city of Sydney, Australia in 1987.

Additional reporting by Sean Defoe