Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 4 Nov 1993

Vol. 435 No. 5

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Artists Representation on County Enterprise Partnership Boards.

Frances Fitzgerald

Question:

10 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht if, in view of the importance and potential of arts for community empowerment through job creation, he will give the number of artists, as defined by the Arts Act, 1951, who are members of the county enterprise partnership boards; the percentage this is of the total membership; the representations, if any, he made to ensure that artists and artists' concerns will be adequately represented on the county enterprise partnership boards; the contact, if any, he has had with the Minister for Enterprise and Employment in relation to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Mr. M. Higgins

As the Deputy is no doubt aware, my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, is responsible for the county enterprise partnership boards and arranges the mechanism for the appointment of members. Regarding the specific concerns of artists, I see those concerns being an intrinsic part of the agenda of this broad based community initiative, particularly where it refers to the participation of the social partners, who are aware of my views and policies which aim to place the arts at the centre of society rather than at its periphery.

I confirm that I have been in personal contact with the Minister and his Department on this issue. The Deputy will be aware, of course, of the contribution that the social employment schemes established by the Minister some ten years ago have made to arts in general and community arts in particular.

Ms F. Fitzgerald

I am sure the Minister is aware of the FÁS community initiative awards which highlight the huge contribution that heritage work is making to communities. For far too long artists have been ignored in policy terms and I think it is important that artists should have an input when policy is being made. I consider that the county enterprise partnership boards will have that type of role. That was why I specifically requested the Minister to ask his colleague, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, to ensure that this was the case. Will the Minister clarify what representations he made to his colleague on this issue?

Mr. M. Higgins

The Deputy will be aware that I cannot make representations to another Minister. I consult and discuss how mechanisms are to be implemented, but I could not dictate or seek to dictate to another Minister that one group had to be included to the exclusion of others.

In my reply I said that I explained the centrality of arts and the Minister agreed with me. In order to give the Deputy as much information as possible, let me say that I see the county enterprise partnership board as a body with an arts component. There are many projects already approved which have an arts content. People from a community arts background are members of such boards, but I intend to take further initiatives in relation to community arts intervention programmes. That will turn very good schemes in which there is activity into yet another specific and tightly structured intervention. I am examining that matter at present.

Ms F. Fitzgerald

I appreciate that the Minister cannot dictate to other Ministers but he should consider some mechanisms which would ensure that job creation in the arts is high on the agenda of those boards.

Mr. M. Higgins

That point will not escape people. The Deputy and I are at one on this, job creation in the arts and related areas is cheaper than elsewhere and it would be foolish of us to neglect this opportunity. Consultations on this matter will continue.

In relation to the possibility of community arts intervention stratgies, before it is possible to engage in the arts in an enterprising way, we must remember that some communities are demoralised and others are organising themselves and it is towards those groups and their potential to organise themselves that I am looking in regard to a possible new scheme.

Mr. Bradford

I want to refer to the central point of Deputy Fitzgerald's question, namely, the membership of the county enterprise boards. In view of the Minister's earlier assertion of his success to date in convincing his Cabinet colleagues of the importance, from a job creation point of view, of the arts area, is he not disappointed that his colleague, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, who had the power to appoint members to all boards throughout the country, did not take advantage of his power and appoint members to specifically represent the arts and culture failed? Is the Minister not disappointed that his representations in that area have failed?

Mr. M. Higgins

The state of the Minister's feelings is never a matter for this House. I am grateful for what has been done by the Department of Enterprise and Employment in respect of the arts. The Deputy will appreciate that if we took from community arts what has been done by FÁS and the social employment schemes there would be very little left. The Minister has been made aware of my views and he and I are of one mind in regard to maximising the job creation potential of community arts and arts in general.

Mr. McGrath

The Minister for Enterprise and Employment did not appoint anybody to represent the arts.