This meeting has been convened to consider the revised Estimates for Votes 35, 41 and 43 of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the National Gallery of Ireland and the Arts Council, respectively. Members have already been supplied with briefing material from the Department. When the Minister completes his speech, I propose that the main Opposition spokespersons of Labour, Fine Gael and the Technical Group take ten minutes each to ask questions, after which we will return to the Minister. We will take anybody else who wishes to contribute before that also. The briefing material was circulated in Leinster House and to members' home addresses. I welcome the Minister and Secretary General of the Department and their officials.
Estimates for Public Services 2003.
Vote 35 - Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (Revised).
Vote 41 - National Gallery of Ireland.
Vote 43 - Arts Council.
From my Department, I introduce the Secretary General, Philip Furlong, Assistant Secretaries Michael Grant, Con Haugh and Paul Bates and Mr. Crowley of the finance unit.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to present the 2003 Estimates of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the National Gallery and the Arts Council and to have this chance to meet the committee to discuss them and associated matters. The administrative budget for the Department which spans subheads A1 to A8, includes pay, travel and subsistence, training, consultancies, information technology, telecommunications and other office premises expenses. The Estimate provision for 2003 is €20.028 million, but while that may seem a sizeable increase over the 2002 provisional outturn of €12.146 million, it must be remembered that 2003 will be the first full year of operation for my Department since its establishment last June. The allocation this year includes the carry over of savings of €642,000 from 2002 under the terms of the administrative budget agreement with the Department of Finance.
Under the new departmental structures announced by the Taoiseach last June, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism has overall responsibility for the formulation of public policy for the promotion and development of the arts, sport and tourism sectors. I will outline for each of these sectors the major developments for which provision has been made in the 2003 Estimates, beginning with tourism for which €107 million has been allocated across a diverse range of services and activities.
Subhead B.1 of my Department's Vote allocated £38.079 million to Bord Fáilte in 2003 and made provision for its administration and general expenses in the areas of pay, overheads and other administrative costs, advertising and printed publicity, marketing and promotional activities, the subvention to the regional tourism authorities and assistance towards product marketing, including conferences and festivals. The available funding under this subhead also supports a range of tourism initiatives, including the international sports tourism initiative and the festivals and cultural events initiative. The subhead B.2 provision of £750,000 represented Bord Fáilte's total Exchequer voted capital allocation for tourism amenity projects. Bord Fáilte assists the regional tourism authorities to develop a wide range of facilities such as tourist trails, tourist information, signposting and cultural and heritage projects from the resources under this subhead. With the establishment of Fáilte Ireland and the dissolution of Bord Fáilte with effect from 28 May last, the undrawn balance of the subheads transferred to the new authority.
Last year, Tourism Ireland, which comes under subhead B.3, managed to make the very best of a difficult year for tourism both on this island and internationally. In a very uncertain and often volatile international marketing environment, Tourism Ireland sought to maximise tourism business on this island. It has performed the tasks mandated to it by the North-South Ministerial Council with an efficiency and professionalism that belies its tender years. In 2002, Tourism Ireland's first full year in operation, the body delivered a comprehensive marketing programme which built on the expertise acquired from Bord Fáilte and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. It has also established strong working relationships with the tourism industry North and South through its tourism marketing partnerships, which have proved a highly effective means of responding to the various external shocks besetting the tourism industry over recent years.
As part of its corporate development programme for 2003, Tourism Ireland is undertaking a comprehensive organisational review to ensure its organisational structure is appropriate to deliver on its commercial mandate effectively and efficiently. This year will see the further bedding down of the financial management and audit control systems necessary to ensure compliance with best practice in terms of corporate governance North and South.
As a product of the peace process, Tourism Ireland is an excellent example of the tangible benefits that accrue from increased North-South co-operation. Tourism is clearly a sector in which the industry North and South stands to gain from working together more closely and with greater cohesion to market the island of Ireland as an international tourist destination. While 2003 is proving to be another testing year for tourism, on the basis of its track record I have every confidence that Tourism Ireland will position Ireland to take full advantage of every opportunity the international tourism market presents this year.
Subhead B.4 allocates €853,000 towards the administration and general expenses of Shannon Development's tourism development activities in the mid-west. These activities include encouraging the development of new, high quality tourism products, the development and marketing through its subsidiary, Shannon Heritage Limited, of its own tourism attractions, provision of a tourism information network and the promotion of the region as a tourist destination. The company also works with Fáilte Ireland to administer the latter's tourism product development scheme. Over 580,000 visitors attended Shannon Heritage's range of eight day-visitor attractions and four evening entertainment venues in 2002.
More than ever, a strong and vigorous marketing strategy is vital to sustaining growth in the tourism sector. In this context, I was delighted to unveil last December Tourism Ireland and Bord Fáilte's marketing programmes for 2003 in the knowledge that the funding available for these programmes has never been higher. In a period of restraint in our public finances, the Exchequer provision for front-line tourism marketing activity has increased significantly. An additional €5 million in 2003 will bring the overall provision under my Department's tourism marketing fund to €30.42 million. This constitutes a recognition by Government of the importance of the sector to the economy as a contributor to employment, GNP and regional development. It is also a recognition of the value of marketing as an essential element in the overall mix that makes Ireland a top-class tourist destination.
While I fully recognise that the tourism sector has suffered a number of setbacks over the past three years due to external factors, the doom and gloom scenarios which were widely predicted in 2002 did not materialise. CSO figures for last year show a continuing, if modest, recovery in both visitor numbers and revenue of about 2%. This performance has been achieved on the back of the concerted and cohesive marketing strategies of Tourism Ireland and Bord Fáilte in our key markets.
This year is proving to be yet another testing year. Although the industry has been hit by external shocks such as the Iraq war and SARS, there are positive signs from a number of key markets, which will hopefully result in good tourism business over the coming months. At the Travel Trade Workshop, which I opened in Killarney recently, I saw a hard-working and highly motivated tourism industry at work. As long as the industry maintains its focus on delivering value for money, I believe there is still good business to be won this year.
Subhead B.8 makes provision towards the cost of implementing the tourism product development scheme. This scheme is funded under the local enterprise development priority of the two regional operational programmes and, following the recent transfer of responsibilities referred to earlier, is now administered by Fáilte Ireland - formerly Bord Fáilte. Decisions on grant applications under the scheme are made by independent management boards set up for this purpose. Up to €55 million in grant aid from the European Regional Development Fund is available to support investment in the tourism product over the NDP period, 2000-06.
The core objective of the scheme is to improve the spatial spread of tourism in Ireland. This will be done by helping less developed tourism areas realise their potential in stimulating new centres of strong tourism growth. It also seeks to promote the better management of the relationship between tourism and the environment, with a particular focus on established tourism areas. A total of 265 initial applications were received by Bord Fáilte and the regional tourism authorities for assistance under the scheme and it is expected that final decisions on grant allocations will be made by the independent management boards over the course of the coming months on completion of a rigorous assessment.
CERT was the national body responsible for training and development in the Irish tourism and hospitality industry and subhead C.5 made provision for pay, administration and programme costs. As was the case with Bord Fáilte, the undrawn balance of the subhead transferred to Fáilte Ireland on its establishment. This allocation supports the provision of a wide range of services to both industry clients and students of tourism and hospitality and plays a central role in training and recruiting people for the tourism and hospitality sector.
Courses are organised under the employment and human resources operational programme 2000-06 for the unemployed, including early school leavers and long-term unemployed, first-time job seekers and those already working in the industry. It is expected that 11,200 people will be trained in 2003 under the three measures.
In November 2001, in light of the establishment of Tourism Ireland Limited and the changing needs of a maturing tourism industry, and following consultation with the board of Bord Fáilte and the council of CERT, the Government approved the creation of a national tourism development authority to promote the development of sustainable tourist facilities and services, including the promotion of training, human resources and marketing skills, bringing together functions currently carried out by Bord Fáilte and CERT.
The legislation to provide for the establishment of the new National Tourism Development Authority, to be known operationally as Fáilte Ireland, was signed into law on 13 April. On 21 May last, I announced its membership and signed an order designating 28 May 2003 as its establishment day. The chief executive of the authority, Mr. Shaun Quinn, was appointed on foot of a competition organised by the interim authority and took up duty in January 2003.
Some £600,000 was voted for the National Tourism Development Authority to cover start-up costs this year. Now that the authority is formally established, Bord Fáilte and CERT have been dissolved and, in accordance with the legislation, their functions have been transferred to the authority. As a consequence, the financial allocations of both Bord Fáilte and CERT are also being transferred to the authority to allow it to carry out the functions previously undertaken by those two bodies.
The performance of Irish tourism during the 1990s has rightly been described as spectacular. The reality today, however, is that there have been significant and quite rapid changes in the industry, in the business environment and in visitor expectations and perceptions. We are facing more intense competition, our competitiveness is under threat, as is the traditional uniqueness of the Irish holiday offering. Obviously, it is critical that our tourism product remains competitive in international terms. The Government will continue to play its part in supporting the industry through a range of programmes and measures in the product development, marketing, training and human resources areas.
Given the general trends that have emerged over the past two tourism seasons, it was clear to me that the policies that served us well in the 1990s may not be the most appropriate for today, and that we had reached a point where it was time to re-evaluate the situation. In December of last year, I announced a major review of tourism policy, with a view to identifying a joint industry-led and Government-led strategy for the future development of tourism in Ireland. I subsequently appointed a high-level group, representative of the industry, the tourism agencies and other business sectors to oversee the review. This is the first review of the tourism sector in ten years and comes at a very appropriate time - a time when many people believe that tourism is at a crossroads. The next steps are crucially important in terms of facilitating continued growth in what is a vital sector of the economy.
As part of its three-stage consultative process, the review group has received over 90 written submissions from interested parties all over the country. There have been bilateral meetings with key players and representative groupings in the tourist industry and, on 14 April 2003, an open public forum was held in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. With an attendance of more than 100 representing all sectors of the industry, the review group is confident that it has a better understanding of all relevant opinions in the industry. The group's interim report was published on 28 May 2003. It contains a number of very important and substantive conclusions and an outline direction for the way forward for Irish tourism. The group has come forward with some significant recommendations. I have asked the tourism State agencies and the industry to look at these to see what can be pursued straight away. I am also following up the question of more appropriate bilateral structures, on matters of mutual interest, with Ministerial colleagues and their Departments. I expect to receive the final report of the review group later in the summer.
I would now like to turn to the C subheads of the Vote. The period since 1997 has seen an unprecedented level of Government support for sport in Ireland. When the it took office in 1997, the budget for sport was frozen at around €17 million. This level of budget was expected to meet the needs of national governing bodies, elite competitors, local organisations as well as providing much-needed sports facilities around the country. Obviously, this level of funding was inadequate to fund the many priorities to be addressed in the sport area and the new Government, which came to power in 1997, set about making a major investment in sport, including appointing Ireland's first ever Cabinet Minister with responsibility for the sport brief.
This Government appreciates the importance of sport in the social and economic life of Irish people. It has provided realistic funding to reflect this central role of sport in our society and the increasing demand for improved sports services and facilities. This year, investment in sport by my Department, outside of the amount being allocated to the horse and greyhound racing sectors, stands at €116.7 million. This high level of funding has enabled many major proposals to become a reality.
Since 1997, the sporting landscape has changed dramatically. The Sports Council was established on a statutory basis in July 1999. For the first time ever, Ireland has an agency focused entirely on sport and its development. Funding for the Sports Council has increased from just over €13 million in 1999 to in excess of €28 million in 2003.
The Sports Council launched its statement of strategy, Sport for Life, in April. In that statement, it affirmed its intention to prioritise its activities in the following key areas: sport for young people; research; participation for all; and building capacity. With increased Government funding the Sports Council has been able to raise the level and quality of support to governing bodies. Ireland's top international competitors are now in receipt of the type of funding and support about which they only dreamt some years ago.
The Sports Council has established 12 local sports partnerships around the country. A new high-performance strategy is being implemented with the help of increased funding of €3 million introduced in 2002, with preparation for the Athens Olympics in 2004 very much in mind.
Ireland has its first ever national anti-doping programme - one of a select group of 30 countries in the world with such programmes. Ireland has now formally ratified the Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention and I have recently signed the Copenhagen Declaration which signals Ireland's determination to co-operate with authorities throughout the world in combating the scourge of doping in sport.
Almost 3,000 clubs and community organisations throughout the country have been supported to the value of €213 million in providing much-needed sporting and recreational facilities. Major national sports facilities have been provided or upgraded. Included are the 50m pool in Limerick; the new aquatic centre in Abbotstown; a refurbished national boxing stadium; and a new national centre for rowing in Inniscarra, County Cork. A national tennis centre to be located at DCU in Glasnevin has been allocated £800,000. A number of major regional projects have also been funded including multi-purpose, municipal-type facilities which will better meet the needs of sports and community groups as well as individuals and informal groups wishing to participate in non-competitive, recreational sporting activities. Some examples of these types of facilities can be found in projects at Waterford, Finglas, Ballymun, Letterkenny, Navan, Carlow, Athlone, Portlaoise and Bray.
Despite the tighter budgetary environment in which all Government agencies must now operate, this year's allocation of over €28 million will enable the Sports Council to maintain its levels of support for the wide range of programmes and initiatives in place for the development and progress of Irish sport, from recreational sport to top national and international teams and competitors. The capital programmes administered by my Department will continue to assist organisations in every part of the country to provide appropriate, high quality, sustainable facilities to meet the varied needs of Irish sport at national, regional and local level. Under the 2003 sports capital programme, 1,330 applications have been received in my Department and are being processed and assessed for funding this year.
Under subhead C.2, an amount of €9 million is available for the local authority swimming pool programme. This is to fund commitments to local authorities for swimming pool projects which have been approved.
As part of the Government's strategy for sport in the new millennium, it was decided in 2000 to develop a 200-hectare State-owned site at Abbotstown as a national sports campus. The initial steps of this plan involved the construction of a national aquatic centre and the development of a national stadium. The national aquatic centre at Abbotstown has been completed, on schedule and within budget, and was formally opened by the Taoiseach on 10 March this year. We have a wonderful new high quality sports facility of which Ireland can be proud. The leisure water facilities will be a very popular addition to the city's tourist and leisure facilities and the 50m pool and state-of-the art diving facilities will be considerable asset to competitive swimmers.
A staggering 24,000 people, mainly families, visited the centre in the first week of opening alone. That level of interest has been maintained; there have been more than 120,000 visitors since it opened. In June the pool will be host to the water events of the Special Olympics, which will be the first of many high profile competitive events there.
Under subhead C.5, €8.4 million has been allocated in 2003 for the completion and commissioning of the national aquatic centre, to cover both capital and current costs. The total capital cost of the aquatic centre is €71 million, including €7.9 million in VAT and €1.3 million of the contingency amount in respect of on-site infrastructure.
Much has already been said and written about the plans for the development of a world-class sports campus at Abbotstown with a state-of-the art national stadium as its focal point. This was, and is, an imaginative and visionary concept. However, in September 2002 it was decided that Exchequer resources could not be made available to the extent that would have been necessary to build a stadium of the quality which we had envisaged. Rather than abandon the project, however, the Government decided to explore the potential to secure a stadium with private sector involvement. The 23 expressions of interest received from the companies and consortia wishing to get involved in this project have been evaluated by my Department with the assistance of an inter-agency group of experts and I will be reporting to Government on them shortly.
Before doing so, however, I needed to establish the priorities of the IRFU and the FAI as both organisations have an urgent need for upgraded facilities. Accordingly, in February last, I met with the IRFU and the FAI and requested them to assess their needs for stadium facilities and to come back to me with proposals for meeting these needs. I received their proposals on 29 April. My Department is carefully studying the report in conjunction with the Office of Public Works, which acts as our technical advisers for the project. The Office of Public Works is considering the report from the two organisations and I expect to have their report at the end of this month. At the conclusion of our work I will present my recommendations to the Government in the context of my overall report to Government on all options for the provision of state-of-the-art stadium facilities for major sporting events. As already mentioned, the report will also incorporate my evaluation of expressions of interest received in the procurement of a privately-funded stadium at Abbotstown.
The Government remains committed to the concept of meeting the need for a stadium. I am very much aware of the needs of both the FAI and the IRFU for a larger and modernised venue to play their international matches. The requirements of FIFA which dictate that the FAI may play its qualifying matches for the next World Cup only in all-seater stadia will result in a reduced capacity at Lansdowne Road of 24,000, while the financial viability of the IRFU would be considerably enhanced with an increased spectator capacity. The requirement of both the IRFU and the FAI for modern stadium accommodation for their major international fixtures is absolutely clear and is central to my consideration of the issues involved.
To build on the substantial investment made by this and the previous Government in the provision of sports facilities, I am committed to putting in place a long-term strategic plan to ensure the continued development of sports facilities throughout the country. As part of the process, a national audit of local sports facilities will also be carried out. This will help me to plan more effectively and target expenditure more accurately in order to meet the demands of what is now a very complex and sophisticated sector, seeking high standards in participation and competition and consequently in the quality and range of facilities required.
The first step in the process to meet this commitment is the carrying out of a review of the current sports capital programme under the Department's expenditure review programme. A steering group to oversee this review has been established and the review will be completed by the middle of this year. The report from the sports capital programme review will be made available to a new inter-agency working group to be set up later this year to oversee the development of a sports facilities strategy. It will be chaired by my Department and will include representatives from the Department of Education and Science, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the Irish Sports Council and local authority representation. It is envisaged that a national audit of local sports facilities, which will be a complex and lengthy task, will be commenced in tandem with the development of the long-term strategy. The successful completion of this audit will be important in identifying existing facilities and in influencing policy considerations in the context of future allocations under the sports capital and other programmes for facility provision.
Over recent years there has been an upsurge in the level of interest and participation in the arts. Far from being considered an elitist pursuit, the creation and enjoyment of art has become integrated into the very fabric of everyday life. Artistic expression is an essential part of any society - exploring, criticising, and interpreting that society. The arts enhance the vitality and life of an area and play an increasingly significant role in its economic development. The value of the arts for the development and well being of society is being recognised more and more, and this Government recognises the opportunities that the arts create for employment and their contribution to the general economy. Similarly the sensitive interpretation and display of our heritage in our national cultural institutions also enhances our sense of identity, of our lrishness.
A key objective of policy is to improve the levels of arts and culture infrastructure that are available around the country. The arts and culture capital enhancement support scheme, ACCESS, was launched in 2001 and will run until the end of 2004. Under the ACCESS scheme, €45.1 million has been offered to 44 projects which, when completed, will improve our arts and cultural infrastructure. The facilities assisted include integrated arts centres, theatres, museums and galleries as well as arts studios and other arts production creative and performance spaces. This scheme will lead to greater participation in the arts with a greater number of facilities being provided on a broad geographical basis. I expect the scheme will also result in the creation of direct and indirect employment in the arts and local economy generally.
The rate of drawdown of funds has been slower than expected to date. I have instructed my Department to review the status of all projects with a view to keeping the programme on-track as far as possible.
My Department also provides capital funding for a number of other projects outside the ACCESS scheme from this subhead. Total spend from this subhead in 2002 was €10.9 million and expenditure in 2003 is estimated to be €12.2 million.
The cultural relations committee provides independent advice to me regarding financial assistance for Irish arts and culture abroad. Projects assisted must be of a high artistic standard and the committee's recommendations are made on the basis of the enhancement of Ireland's image and reputation abroad and the promotion of Irish arts. Funding of €700,000 is available to the committee in 2003 to support cultural events in theatre and dance, film, music, visual arts and literature.
The Government has approved my proposal to invite expressions of interest from the private sector in participating, on the basis of a public private partnership, in the capital redevelopment of the Abbey Theatre in and-or around the vicinity of the site of the existing theatre. The Office of Public Works will shortly be advertising in the official journal of the EU to engage advisers to help with the drawing up of a detailed specification for the project.
Subhead D.2 of my Department's Vote allocates funding for the programmes of three cultural institutions; the National Museum, the National Library and the National Archives. Subhead D.3 provides grant support for the Chester Beatty Library, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Concert Hall and the National Archives Advisory Council.
Subhead D.4 enables the allocation of Exchequer funding to a number of smaller cultural projects and bodies. These include the Irish Manuscripts Commission, Marsh's Library, the Irish Architectural Archive, the Hunt Museum, etc. I was pleased to be in a position to provide initial funding to the National Museum of Ireland to assist with the preparation required for holding an exhibition dedicated to the Irish soldier at home and abroad from the 16th century to modern times in 2004-05.
Subhead D.6 provides funding to the Heritage Fund in accordance with the Heritage Fund Act 2001. The purpose of the fund is to enable the national cultural collecting institutions to acquire significant items for the national collections. The National Cultural Institutions Act was enacted in 1997. The primary purpose of this Act is to give autonomous status to the National Library of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland and to reconstitute them on the basis of modern legislation. I have decided to bring the relevant provisions of the Act into effect. My aim, subject to being satisfied that the two institutions will be able to move forward into the future on a sound footing, is to implement the provisions with effect from 1 January 2004.
The National Concert Hall is the premier venue for classical musical performance in Dublin. It was built within the Earlsfort Terrace complex and shares its accommodation with University College Dublin. From the outset it was recognised that there were inadequacies in relation to the overall space allocated to it and that backstage accommodation, in particular, was limited. Since 1981, the NCH has developed as a venue for many forms of musical performance in addition to classical music. Last year, the NCH catered for over 300,000 patrons. The inadequacies inherent in the present location are now a serious constraint on its operations and further development. In addition, it most notably lacks a self-contained auditorium for musical performances of a more intimate character.
The Office of Public Works was asked to put together, in consultation with the management of the National Concert Hall, a full brief of the physical and other requirements tailored to serve the needs of the National Concert Hall for the foreseeable future. In the light of this brief, my Department, together with the Office of Public Works, is examining all the options for the provision of a new modern concert hall suitable for the requirements of the 21st century, including the possibility of relocating it to a site in the Grand Canal Harbour area of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. The process is ongoing. When the necessary considerations are completed, I will seek Government approval to implement my decision.
The Irish Film Board is responsible for the promotion of an indigenous film industry and for marketing Ireland abroad as a location for film-making. The primary activity of the board is to provide development and production finance for Irish film projects, including feature, documentary, and animation. In recent years, the central role for the board in our national film strategy has been underpinned by increases in its funding and staffing resources. While the board's current budget has seen a reduction in its provision for 2003, this merely reflects the broader economic context in which we find ourselves. I am confident the board and its staff will continue to deliver an efficient and imaginative service to this important sector of the economy.
Funding to Horse Racing Ireland and Bord na gCon has been underpinned by the establishment of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund, with Horse Racing Ireland receiving 80% and Bord na gCon 20% of the fund. This fund was established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. Subhead F of my Department's Estimate allocates £63.704 million to the fund this year, of which £50.963 million goes to Horse Racing Ireland. This funding is used in the main for prize money, capital development projects, integrity services and administration costs within the industry.
Bord na gCon is to receive £12.741 million in 2003. This funding is distributed by the board for spending in areas such as prize money, capital development projects and administration costs. Last year was an excellent year for greyhound racing in Ireland. Tote betting was up 40% to over £31 million, and bookmaker turnover grew by 38%, reaching a sum of almost £75 million. In March this year I launched HRI's strategic plan for 2003-07. I welcome the publication of that plan which will play a key role in developing and promoting Ireland as a world centre of excellence for horse racing and breeding.
In addition to the outstanding entertainment and enjoyment it provides for a large section of the Irish population, horse racing has a major impact on the Irish economy. Some 25,000 people, both full and part-time, are employed in the industry. The value of assets employed in the industry is £2.5 billion. Some 50,000 overseas visitors attend race meetings in Ireland every year.
Later this month, delegations will be arriving from all over the world to participate in the Special Olympics World Summer Games. These games are our opportunity to demonstrate to the world our capacity to organise major international sporting events. More importantly, the games will be a celebration of the sporting achievements of people with a learning disability, often in the face of tremendous odds. How appropriate it is that Ireland is hosting the World Summer Games in the European Year of People with Disabilities. As part of the build up to the games, over 170 towns and villages around the country, both North and South, will have an opportunity to become part of this unique event by hosting one of the delegations. The host town programme will be a positive and life-enriching experience for all concerned.
One of the most interesting developments has been the introduction of the school enrichment programme into schools both North and South. The programme was developed with the full support of both departments of education. It will, I hope, be one of the longer-lasting legacies of staging the world games in Ireland. Also, as part of the build up to the games, Irish people have a chance to adopt an athlete and get behind a particular competitor during the games. The people of Ireland are honored to play host to such an event and I know that each of us will do what we can to ensure its success.
The arts, sport and tourism Vote group includes the separate Votes for the National Gallery, Vote 41, and the Arts Council, Vote 43. The allocation for the National Gallery in 2003 is £8.436 million, of which almost £7 million is to meet general administration costs such as salaries, wages, travel, consultancy services, office supplies, etc. Programme spending accounts for the balance of £1.5 million. The bulk of this spending is to fund acquisitions and conservation activity by the gallery, for which €1.15 million has been set aside - a repeat of last year's provision. The other significant item of programme spending is a €322,000 payment of retention moneys to the contractor in respect of completion of the millennium wing of the gallery.
Under the aegis of my Department, the Arts Council, as the State agency with responsibility for the promotion and development of the arts in Ireland, has been allocated €44 million in 2003. This is a reduction of some €3 million on what was provided in 2002 and it comes after a five year period where between 1997 and 2002 Arts Council funding had increased by about 80%. Given the realities of the current budgetary situation with which we must all cope, the council's funding for 2003 has necessitated a slower rate of progress then would have been possible in a more benign economic context. The council is focusing on improving the self-sufficiency of the arts sector in the longer term and strengthening the levels of management within the sector.
As committee members will be aware, the Arts Bill 2002 is expected to be enacted in the near future. The Bill will, when enacted, recognise the fact that there is now a Minister with specific responsibility for the arts, who has a role in broad arts policy. It will for the first time give legislative status to the arms-length principle, under which the Arts Council is independent in the context of individual funding decision, and will provide mechanisms to have special attention given to specific policy priorities as they arise.
I commend the Estimates to the committee and I will endeavour to provide any additional information or clarifications that members may request.
I suggest that we allocate no more than ten minutes from each speaker and we will begin the rota with the main spokespersons. We will start with Deputy Deenihan.
I welcome the Minister and his officials. I thank them for their co-operation and help in the past year. It must be acknowledged that his Department is helpful to all Deputies. I will respond to the three main areas which the Minister outlined, namely, tourism, sport and the arts.
To date there has been a sluggish tourism season. We know that in the traditional tourism areas there is a major fall off in numbers. I can speak from first hand knowledge of what is happening in Kerry. Places like Killarney have very attractive offers at the moment. It is obvious that numbers are down. The number of people coming on coach tours to places like Dingle and the Ring of Kerry and the west of Ireland are not encouraging. There is a difficult year ahead due to a number of factors.
The war in Iraq has not helped because the Americans are not travelling to the same extent. There are also other factors, which were outlined in the interim report of the tourism policy review group, Irish Tourism: Responding to Change. I welcome that report, which reiterates what I have been saying for the past year about our lack of competitiveness, inflation in the tourism industry, road access and signposting, insurance inflation and so on. The Minister referred to this important report. When will the final report be published? Will it contain substantially more information than the interim report?
There are some issues that do not apply to the Estimates in particular - the future status of Shannon Airport, for example. Is the Minister at liberty to talk about this today? It is quite an important issue. The bilateral agreement between Ireland and the USA will have major implications if it interferes with the present status of Shannon. If the status is changed, what alternatives can the Minister envisage to ensure that Shannon remains attractive and competitive for passenger travel? The flow of visitors from Shannon and Dublin, as measured by Shannon Development, showed that, for example, 50% of all visitors who disembark in Shannon end up in Kerry, whereas only 22% who arrive in Dublin end up in Kerry. I am sure this is also the case for the rest of the western seaboard. The future of Shannon has major implications for these areas. Perhaps the Minister could refer to this in his reply.
There was an expectation before last year's budget that VAT on tourism products would be reduced to 10%. The Irish Hotels Federation felt very confident that it had convinced the Minister for Finance that this would be very helpful for the industry. The Minister did the opposite: he increased VAT by a further 1% to 13.5%. Any driver of coaches will tell one that people are comparing prices. Because of the introduction of the euro, there is more price transparency. People are very much aware of what a product costs in France, Spain and Italy compared to Ireland. They are conscious of how expensive Ireland has become and this is not doing the credibility of our tourism industry any good. It is to be hoped that the Minister will reverse this trend in next year's budget. Ireland has become a very expensive country.
I would like the Minister to comment on our involvement in the World Tourism Organisation, WTO. There are about 160 countries in this organisation, but Ireland has not joined. The report exemplifies the importance of information, intelligence and research. Ireland's not being a member of the WTO means that we are losing out on very important research. If we were involved, consultants from Ireland would be employed to carry out research across the world, the results of which would come back to Ireland. We do not have that information available to the extent that we would if we became involved in this organisation.
I was rather disappointed that the funding for Shannon Development was cut from €938,000 to €853,000 in the Estimates. That provides for the general administration costs of Shannon Development in relation to its tourism activities in the region. The cut will have the effect of cutting back on the services offered by Shannon Development at its offices and its general services across the area. The region has been very successful among all the regions in attracting tourists. Cutting its budget will not help.
The tourism product development grant in aid scheme was launched, for whatever reason, nearly two years ago, but it seems to be making very slow progress. When does the Minister expect that decisions will be made regarding the successful applicants? A screening process took place and certain projects and clusters were identified, but I would like to know the next step in the process.
Through no fault of the Minister's or of anyone, this will be a difficult year for tourism. We might as well face up to it. It is to be hoped that things will recover. If the weather improves that will help. I welcome the fact that extra money has been put into marketing in America. That is something I called for last year and the Minister has done it. We now have a better presence in America in terms of advertising. We are competing with the UK, which launched a massive campaign last year. I acknowledge the Minister's input.
I have put down a question in the Dáil today about the sports stadium and I am sure my colleague Deputy Wall also has a question. Reading the papers in the last week, one can see two different views emerging. The view of the Progressive Democrats is that a stadium would be too expensive, so they are ruling out spending money on a stadium. Another view is coming from the Office of Public Works and the Minister's Department - that Abbotstown would cost less than the proposed development for Lansdowne, which is not the case. The Ove Arup report clearly stated that a stadium in Abbotstown would cost €75 million more, and that did not take into account the improvements that would have to be made to the M50.
We must have clarity and the dithering must end. I know it is not the fault of the Minister. He has only had this responsibility for a year and he did make a commitment in the Dáil this time last year that he would make a decision. A year is not a long time, but it has come to decision time. The speculation that is appearing in the newspapers is an insult to the FAI and the IRFU, because the FAI could have had its own stadium. If the Government had given it the €50 million that was required the team would be playing in Eircom Park now. The IRFU spent €500,000 on the Ove Arup report. It spent it for the Minister's benefit. It now deserves to be told what is going to happen. It should not be used as a pawn in this political argument between the Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fáil. We will talk more about this later.
Support for the Irish Film Board was cut back substantially this year, by more than €1.5 million. This has given rise to concern, but what concerns me most of all is the Minister's statement on the budget: "I am bringing forward to 31 December 2004 both the termination date for film relief . . . and that for student accommodation relief . . . There is no justification for a continuation of these reliefs beyond 2004." This has had a devastating effect on the film industry. There is major uncertainty at the moment.
Other countries have passed us out in terms of providing incentives. The fifty states of the USA now have better incentives than we have. A film about King Arthur will be starting production here in a few weeks and will bring about €90 million to Ireland. The incentive is the reason these major films are made here. Films have a long gestation period and have to go through many processes before they are released. There are people - I am sure the Minister is aware of this - who are now deciding whether they will make their films in Ireland in 2005. Because of this uncertainty, they will probably decide against it. The film industry was a vibrant one, creating about 3,000 jobs. The whole film industry could collapse if we do not get clarity. The Minister did give clarity in the budget but it was the wrong type of clarity and has adversely affected the industry.
The Government made the arts plan part of the programme for Government. From 2002 to 2006 it made a major commitment of €314 million. The arts plan 2003 contained a commitment of €53.7 million, but not alone was there no increase, there was a decrease in spending of 8%, from €47.7 million to €44 million. Right across the country people are being let go, principally because the cutbacks in the community employment scheme seem to have kicked in. There is real disillusionment. The Minister is probably confronting this himself in the arts world. For example, Ballet Ireland has nearly been wiped out. Siamsa Tíre in Tralee, which has been very effective for Kerry tourism, suffered a decrease in budget of €90,000, totally upsetting its education programme.
I ask the Minister to clarify whether he receives a budget for his entire Department or whether he is told how much he must spend on the arts specifically. I am sure that Deputy FionaO'Malley, being part of the arts world, would agree that this is having devastating consequences among the arts community.
I ask the Deputy to conclude, in deference to his colleagues.
I am just finishing. Obviously, the Chairman will allow us to ask questions afterwards.
This is the Deputy's opportunity to put his question.
Can we not come back in again?
We had expected to finish around 11.30, and we want to give everybody a chance.
This is probably the most important work this committee will do this year and I advise you, Chairman, not to rush it.
We were not in a position to rush it. We decided at the start to give everybody 10 minutes to put their case and to allow the Minister to come back.
I would like to share my time with Deputy O'Shea. I welcome the Minister and his staff. As previously stated, they have been more than helpful in making any information or details sought available to me on a continuous basis since I took over this portfolio.
The most relevant factor in the tourism industry is that we have lost our competitive edge. How to overcome that problem is the most important factor to be addressed. Word is now abroad that Ireland is one of the costliest places to visit, and that is going to have a major effect. One must align this to the fact that our PR system is in competition with similar PR systems in America, England, Germany and elsewhere. We are obviously not able to invest as much in tourism PR as those countries, and we can be assured that they will highlight that Ireland is going up the ladder in terms of tourism costs. That is the major problem we face.
Our facilities and so on are as good as those in any other country, apart from the weather, and no Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism can rectify that. We have to put up with what we have. We need to use every mechanism available get back our competitive edge. In our efforts to attract tourists, we do not package events as well as we should. I have visited a number of countries of late, and they seem to be better able to present an overall tourism package than we are. I hope something can be done in that regard.
Some of the other topics that have been raised, like the Shannon stopover, are part of the overall problem we are facing, but the Minister must work with his Government colleagues to restore our competitive edge. If we can do that we will be well on the way to a recovery in 2003.
Sports facilities have obviously been improved over the last number of years due to lottery funding and so on. This is valuable, but my major concern is that we may have all the facilities but not the personnel or the volunteers to run them. In my area, that is the most worrying concern. In the small town where I live we have practically all of the required sporting facilities, yet the number of volunteers seems to be declining. I hope the planned review is advanced as quickly as possible and that the report will address the problems facing all sports organisations in relation to volunteers.
It is time to get off the fence and make up our minds what we want to do about a sports stadium. We see the newspaper reports and so on, and it is time for the Minister to spell out where we are going and to move forward. All the posturing has been done and it is time at this stage to have the stadium. I fully support the entitlement of the IRFU and FAI to a stadium and I hope a decision is made in the near future.
Maybe I failed to detect in the Minister's submission the position in relation to a national conference centre. We never seem to have addressed that problem and it is a facility that would certainly be of benefit in terms of hosting international conferences and so on. We have never been in the same league as some other countries in that regard.
The loss of funding for the arts is creating problems, as we have seen, but I hope we will see an upturn in the economy. If that is the case then the Minister will obviously be in a position to make further representations to increase his slice of the budgetary cake, and the arts and other sectors which suffered cut backs in the last budget could then be addressed.
I repeat my belief that the loss of competitive edge and the position of Ireland as the most expensive country in the EU is hurting tourism badly. The fact is being highlighted now in the international as well as local media, which certainly cannot be of help to the tourism industry. It is hurting badly, as Deputy Deenihan said. I know that, being from an area that is not typically associated with the tourism trail but which has major initiatives in relation to tourism. Those in the bed and breakfast sector could tell us that there has been a major drop off in tourist numbers.
The Minister states in his speech, "It is envisaged that a national audit of local sports facilities ,which will be a complex and lengthy task, will be commenced in tandem." I fail to see how this national audit is going to be a complex and lengthy task. There is an urgency about this, particularly in regard to disadvantaged areas. I suggest that this audit take place as quickly as possible and that priority be given to the disadvantaged areas. Given that each local authority can readily provide a list of the sporting facilities within its area I find it difficult to accept that this is a complex and lengthy task. There are programmes that would benefit from a speedy audit being concluded.
In regard to the local sports partnerships, which are important, the Minister says that 12 have been put in place. Are the resources there to complete the process of providing the local sports partnerships to every area? When is it envisaged that all the sports partnerships will be put in place?
In regard to the national stadium and Abbottstown it seems that one vital ingredient has been lost and that is the campus of sporting excellence where it was intended to have the full range of state-of-the-art training facilities, the various coaches and medical experts who would be needed as a back-up to such a facility, the centre of sports medicine, of drug testing, and the head offices of the national sporting associations. This concept is important because if our high performance athletes are to perform to the optimum level then having such a facility is vital. Like Deputy Wall, I believe it is time to get the national stadium under way because it seems from the IRFU and the FAI presentations here - and the Minister alludes to it in his speech - that FIFA will be restricting the FAI to all-seater stadiums in the near future. We should be getting on with it. The Minister might inform us as to whether the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is prepared to permit this project to go ahead. If that is the situation we should know that and the sporting organisations should see exactly where they stand and where they are going from there.
Can the Minister say whether any progress has been made in terms of opening the National Museum on bank holidays and weekends? This is a very real issue for people who live outside the capital and wish visit to their own betterment and more particularly that of their children in terms of coming to grips with our heritage.
I am pleased with the figures the delegation presented, especially for the greyhound industry. They are most encouraging. Is the market buoyant for breeders in selling greyhounds? If not, it will cause a problem in the supply of greyhounds eventually. The Minister and Bord na gCon are to be congratulated on the excellent year in 2002.
I share the Mininster's enthusiam for the access programme. Access runs out at the end of 2004. Is it the Minister's intention that there will be an Access 2 programme to follow on at the end of 2004?
As a Deputy from the south I am very concerned about the future of Shannon Airport and the bilateral agreement. I attended a meeting in Shannon last Monday night at which thousands of people were present. In the south and along the western seaboard we want Shannon Airport as an engine for growth and anything that is done to interfere with the bilateral status or the open skies policy will be detrimental to Shannon.
This is the year of the Special Olympics. Will the Minister persuade his colleagues in Government to introduce a supplementary estimate of €20 million for people with disabilities? That is very little. We want to show goodwill to the people coming here and we want to be worthy of hosting the Special Olympics, but it is not worthy of us to have protesters outside the Dáil saying that people with special needs are not being catered for.
I join my colleagues in welcoming the Minister and the officials and like my colleagues I thank them for their considerable co-operation. As was stated, theirs is one of the easiest, if not the easiest, Departments to deal with and there is a very high level of service there which is greatly appreciated.
I want to raise a couple of issues. One concerns the national conference centre. Little has been heard of it recently but I would strongly urge that attention be given to it. It is an essential element for the future in any major infrastructural development in the tourism industry. It has had a few hiccups in the past and it seems to have gone somewhat cold lately but it is vital. I urge that it be given every attention.
Reference was made to the local sports partnerships. I am chairman of the partnership in Fingal and such partnerships are a positive step forward. They are in their embryonic stage at present but they are gaining momentum and will do good for the development of sport, not just the headline-grabbing sports but the broad spectrum of all sporting activities, in particular the minority sports which from time to time have been left out of the debate. In the context of the local sports partnership, and particularly in an area that is developing rapidly, the sharing of sporting facilities at local level is worth considering. I raised it in the context of the audit the Department is undertaking of sporting facilities and sports clubs nationwide.
In the UK I have visited some excellent sports facilities in similar areas where the entire range of local demand is met on one campus. This does away with the situation in the greater Dublin area where there are clubs competing for State funds in a relatively tight geographical area. While that has its roots in the long-established clubs and older areas, there is great opportunity in the developing areas for single campus, single site, facilities to be developed and a multiplicity of clubs to be accommodated. There is an unnecessary duplication of resources and increasing reliance on the State for these resources, but as resources become ever scarcer it is a very expensive duplication. It would be worth looking at on a pilot scheme basis in some of the city areas, in particular the greater Dublin area.
I welcome the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism and his officials. It is well known that the Minister is fully committed to arts, sports and tourism and has brought to his portfolio an enthusiasm second to none. Ireland is among the premier countries in this area. With the welcome we will give to the Special Olympics, everyone will return again. All the good things we have in this respect far outweigh anything else. Everywhere around the world, Ireland is recognised as number one in the arts. In sport, it was proven again last night on the world stage. We are on the up and up with tourism.
More people are calling for a national stadium and we are now ready for it. The Minister should go ahead with the building of a stadium and we should no longer dilly-dally with it. The negative vibes should not stop us doing what is in the general interest of the people - healthy in mind and healthy in body. I ask the Minister to take a long-term view rather than a short-term one of where we will have the stadium which will be of benefit to us and future generations.
I do not share Deputy Kelly's enthusiasm for the national stadium.
Arise, the national stadium.
We share most other things.
I share the enthusiasm for the national conference centre that Deputy Glennon has mentioned. He is right that the project has lost focus and concentration. It is a resource that Dublin absolutely needs. While we have a stadium in Croke Park, we need a national conference centre of international standard and it could be used as a resource to develop tourism. The world national newspapers conference was held here recently and that is an example of the type of high profile conference that we need to attract more regularly. This should be a matter of focus for this committee and the Minister. In the Dún Laoghaire constituency, we have a fine site which could be considered, particularly as it is along the DART line and without the problems one has at Abbotstown.
There are two sides to that.
(Interruptions).
On the issue of the National Development Authority and tourism, we need to be concerned particularly with industrial relations in the context of the merger between CERT and Bord Fáilte. We cannot allow such an argument between the two authorities that can impede the tourism industry. I am sure the Minister is aware of the issue, coming from a constituency reliant on tourism.
Deputy Deenihan mentioned the cut in the Department budget and we can rely on the Minister to fight for a good slice of the cake. It is important to have a vibrant sector in terms of economic development, as well as cultural importance.
The Minister concentrated heavily on the fact that due to the peace process, we have seen much progress in North-South co-operation. The policy is to develop less developed tourism areas. What defines a less developed area? In Donegal, we are having an ongoing discussion whether a sea life centre should go into Bundoran or Buncrana. The argument is that Buncrana has nothing in tourist attractions and so deserves it. Fáilte Ireland argues that Bundoran has the existing facilities to accommodate such a project. How do we develop the less developed tourism areas unless we identify where they are from an objective point of view?
Do we do enough for cultural tourism? When I asked that question before, I was told we have the Cork Jazz festival and the Queen's film festival. However, we also have people who come here to learn English and even the Irish language and Irish dancing. There are places in the America where Irish language and dance lessons are a huge part of people's hobbies. Could we develop projects on that type of cultural tourism and not just the family-tree tracing that many Americans come to do?
The Minister referred to the US market, but are we doing enough on the Northern Irish and English market? For example, a large number of people have used the Foyle ferry. Are we doing enough to tap into those markets?
Deputy O'Malley referred to the 1,000 journalists who attended the conference recently. I heard in Miriam Lord's contribution on the news this morning that they drank more than 4,000 pints at a cultural event in the Guinness factory because there was no lap-dancing club to go to. Is that the type of experience that should be part of a visit to Ireland? Is that the only way to spend time in Ireland? Is there nothing else to offer?
They have pains in their heads because they have been so long here.
The value for money focus is important. For example, I heard of a family with two children who went to a hotel in Cahir and for one night they were quoted €175 each for the father and mother and €100 for the two children for one room. According to them, they could have a week in Spain for that amount. Value for money, as Deputy Wall pointed out, is a significant factor in our ability to attract tourists. The advantage in the north west is that we have not had a tradition of tourism and therefore we do not exploit the tourist as much as they do in some areas. I do not know if the Minister will agree.
Of the 1,330 sports funding applications, I can account for only 330. I hope the Minister has plenty of money to disburse. It is a brilliant idea and the money goes to worthwhile projects.
Regarding the Special Olympics, Deputy Wall touched on the issue of volunteers. Perhaps he would talk to his colleagues about issues like the Tipping the Scales report on volunteering. Arts and sports can gain much from tying in to the volunteer concept. A stronger focus might be achieved than in the past by going out to ask people their opinions and providing the support structures for volunteering.
We have had the Community Games representatives here. They had a strong point, referred to by Deputy Glennon, regarding local shared facilities. Perhaps there could be co-operation with the Minister for Education to maximise that, and with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The point has been made that many State facilities, county council, VEC and other facilities are under-used. Since everybody is being crippled by the same insurance, perhaps national insurance is another issue that needs to be addressed.
The circus representatives were here before us, and I trust they will be kept in mind. They have kept in touch with us and want the Deputies to know they are still there.
Can we ever really achieve cross-departmental expenditure between the arts, education and health, to invest properly in arts interventions at all ages? Artistic expression is an essential part of any society. Exploring, criticising and interpreting the arts enhances the vitality and life of an area and plays an increasingly significant role in its economic development.
I come from a background where it is fundamentally believed that the artist is not simply produced in the school for the day when the visitor is there, that investment in the arts at pre-school, primary and secondary school levels fundamentally helps a child to cope with rhythmic development and learning co-ordination and the child's own physical development, all of which will result in a child becoming a more employable adult. In that sense it is an economic development for an area, as opposed to being simply the display of an artist on a day playing a particular tune, with people saying how wonderful that is.
Sports are being developed more in schools now. I congratulate the Minister on the encouragement he has given to the schools programmes where GAA and partnerships and the FAI are going into the schools. That is definitely yielding very important results.
I would like to see more such development in the arts. I do not know why the RTE Concert Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra do not come within the Minister's ambit. If these were to be linked in with the National Concert Hall, and if there were to be more out-reaching of small groups from the orchestras into the national schools around the country, there would be a gain on the education side. Schools would be gaining immediate interaction with real musicians and real instruments, while at the same time concerts could be given in the localities to encourage the wider audience to participate in and engage with the arts.
I congratulate the Minister too on the research training, which is also yielding great results.
In relation to the Shannon stopover, it is not technically an issue for the Minister or this committee. The Minister might however like to comment in general on it.
I thank the Deputies for their contributions, and I will try to reply as succinctly as possible.
In relation to the tourism figures mentioned by Deputy Deenihan and others, it is true that we are having a more difficult year, and that we have had two difficult years prior to this. Nonetheless, it is important that the statistics be revealed. Against a very difficult backdrop, the figures for the first quarter of the year show a slight decrease of 0.3% in overseas visitor numbers compared to the year 2002. It is a very slight decrease, but what is gratifying about the CSO figures is that we are noting a 10% increase in value for the same quarter. That is to be greatly welcomed.
It is important that I point out that in spite of the difficult environment this year, we have been successful in key markets. In the first quarter, Irish tourism is recording very encouraging results from the United States, Germany, France and Spain in particular. The UK market has had a decrease in outbound traffic this year and there is a softening in the numbers coming to Ireland, but that is nowhere near the softening on the outbound UK market which other countries are experiencing.
Despite the softening, there are signs that Ireland is gaining marketshare in what we regard as a vital volume market. There are major campaigns in several countries in an effort to attract visitors to Ireland this year. I remain confident that despite the difficult backdrop, the year will not be anything like as bad as might have been predicted, or indeed expected, given the backdrop. I am very hopeful that we will see a substantial increase in the numbers of visitors coming to Ireland as the year moves on. I sincerely hope this happens, as no doubt do the members of the committee.
With regard to the review group, I expect its report in July. It will be a comprehensive report with substantive conclusions and recommendations. Some of the recommendations in the interim report will naturally be contained in the final report, but I expect the final report to have much greater detail.
Regarding final decisions on the product development scheme, the tourism product management board hopes to have the first of these - the second stage detailed proposals - before the end of the summer. The board aims to have taken all the final decisions by the end of the year. That is something everyone will welcome, because it is very important that we try to see where we are going with this scheme.
Deputy Deenihan also raised the issue of membership of the World Tourism Organisation. It seems the membership cost would be about €150,000 per annum. I accept that is not a lot. Membership has been considered on several occasions in the past, and was turned down each time on the grounds of its not being cost-effective. Many of our EU partners are not members. It is believed, as Deputy Deenihan pointed out, that the main value of WTO membership is access to data based on international tourism trends. We already have access to that data through Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland because they are connected to the WTO.
The issue of the national stadium has been raised by Deputies Deenihan, O'Shea, Wall, Glennon and to a lesser extent by DeputyO'Malley. I again acknowledge with gratitude the very strong support which the main Opposition parties have been consistently giving to the concept of a national stadium. I thank the main Opposition spokespersons, because this is a very important project. The IRFU-FAI report was received on 29 April and is being assessed by my Department and its technical advisers in the Office of Public Works. I expect the report from the Office of Public Works at a relatively early date, on the basis of which I then intend to submit proposals to the Government. I will also include the outcome of the examination of the expressions of interest from 23 groups.
I do not wish to interrupt the Minister, but there is a currently a vote in the Chamber. We have a choice. We could ask you to respond by letter to us on the outstanding issues that have not been addressed or reconvene after 20 minutes. I am in the hands of the committee as to which it prefers.
I am open to whatever the committee prefers.
Would the committee be satisfied with a written response?
Are there many more responses?
There are as many respones as there were many questions.
In that case, will we come back?
Sitting suspended at 11 a.m. and resumed at 11.25 p.m.
The FAI and the IRFU are fully aware of the timeframe and there has been regular contact with these organisations. When the decision is finally made in relation to this matter it will be of immense importance that it should not be made on political grounds and that it is made in line with what are the best interests of the advancement of sport in the country, be it from the perspective of the participants or the spectators.
Deputy Deenihan also mentioned section 481 which is guaranteed until the end of 2004. In the meantime, I am engaging consultants in co-operation with the Irish Film Board to carry out an in-depth evaluation of the success of that scheme. I expect that this report will inform my discussions with the Minister for Finance to ensure that the Irish film industry can be sustained and developed into the future. I am acutely aware of the importance of section 481 in that respect.
Deputy Deenihan also referred to Shannon Development which, let it be said, is already treated very well in comparison to other regional tourism authorities in receiving a direct Exchequer allocation of €850,000. Shannon also has access to other income sources, such as revenue from tourist information offices and returns from Shannon Development's tourism and industrial assets. I have no reason to believe, incidentally, that there have been any major cutbacks in Shannon's activities as a result of the reduction in the amount allocated to them for this year.
Funding for the Arts Council, which was raised by Deputy Deenihan and a number of other Deputies, has to be determined in the context of the annual Estimates campaign. I recognise that the decisions taken by the Arts Council have, of necessity, not been popular in the arts world, which is unfortunate. I can assure Deputies that I will be using my best endeavours to secure equitable funding for the arts in 2004, in the context of the overall budgetary situation.
Deputies Wall, Glennon and Fiona O'Malley spoke about the importance of a national conference centre and it is true that conference business is an important and valuable element of the Irish tourism product. The number of overseas visitors attending conference and corporate meetings here in 2001 was 118,000, which was worth an estimated €177 million to the economy. The last ten years have seen dramatic developments in Ireland's stock of general conference facilities. However, physical conference infrastructure is only one part, albeit an important one, of optimising Ireland's share of the international conference market - marketing is the other part. Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with the convention bureau of Ireland, is continuing to work closely with its industry partners to attract conferences and business meetings. Together they are making every effort to increase our share of these lucrative markets.
The debate about the national conference centre has been ongoing for the best part of 20 years and we should try to bring some form of closure to it. In that context, proposals as to how the national conference centre project might be progressed are currently being finalised in my Department. Obviously, a project of this scale, complexity and cost requires detailed and careful examination in consultation with other Government Departments and agencies. Consultation with all the other Government Departments involved has now been completed. I expect to be in a position to bring the matter to Government for decision over the next few weeks. I regard this as being one of the most important proposals within the Department. It is of immense importance for the development of the tourism product in Dublin that a conference centre be provided. I will try to progress the matter over the next few weeks and I hope that our proposals will be successful.
Deputy Wall referred to volunteerism in sport and, of course, volunteers have been the lifeblood of Irish sport for many years, although it is true that their numbers are falling. That has been brought about mainly by pressures from other interests, for example, work, home and a far greater degree of affluence.
The Irish Sports Council has established 12 local sports partnerships and one of their key priorities will be to support the volunteers and encourage additional people to become involved in sport. It has to be recognised that we did succeed in obtaining 30,000 volunteers for the Special Olympics. Ireland's tradition of volunteerism was one of the principal reasons we secured the games, which are being held outside the United States for the first time this year.
I agree with Deputy Wall regarding the importance of competitiveness. This was highlighted in the interim report of the review group and I look forward to the publication of the group's final report. Value for money rather than price is the key. The industry must deliver a quality product and service that meets the expectations of visitors.
I have highlighted the need for the industry to take steps to address costs through productivity improvements, the use of new technologies, modern human resource strategies and cost reduction programmes. I accept the Government has a role and is acting to tackle inflation. This was set out in the recent social partnership agreement and I accept its objectives must be followed up.
Deputy Wall referred to the audit of sports facilities, while Deputy O'Shea pointed out that it was not as complex and difficult as I appeared to suggest. I agree it is an urgent task, but given the range of the facilities provided, the scope of the work involved should not be underestimated. The local authorities will be asked to assist, but the scope of the project goes beyond them. For example, in the North, which is a smaller jurisdiction, a similar audit is under way and it is anticipated that it will take at least 18 months before information to assist policymakers will become available.
Deputy O'Shea inquired about the National Museum opening on bank holidays. That is a matter for negotiation between the management of the museum and the relevant staff associations. Any proposal to open on bank holidays has significant cost and human resource implications. The Deputy will be aware that Sustaining Progress contains provisions on flexibility in work practices in return for pay increases. I hope the issue can be address in that context. I intend to carry out a survey of the existing arts infrastructure funded by the Exchequer under the CDIS and access programmes to see if the provision of further infrastructure is warranted.
Deputy Glennon referred to the review of sports partnerships. The review has been completed and is being considered in the context of the cost of expanding the networks and the need to ensure that the partnerships are sustainable in the longer term. There is little point in establishing more partnerships unless they can be sustained in the long-term. The launch of a Fingal sports partnership strategy will take place in July. Partnerships can play a key role in deciding with local sporting bodies measures which can be adopted for the betterment of facilities and the encouragement of participation.
Deputy O'Shea inquired about the budget of the Irish Sports Council. In 2000 it stood at €13.215 million. It was €19.636 million in 2001, €28.702 million in 2002 and €28.265 million in 2003. It has doubled since 2000, and that was completed within the first five years of the establishment of the council. That is progress.
The Chairman inquired about the possibility of cultural tourism. The establishment of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism has created an opportunity for a far greater degree of synergy between tourism and culture. We will seek to build on this.
The Chairman also referred to the role of the Arts Council. Legislation establishing a new Arts Council will be enacted in the near future and I have no doubt it will take account of the concerns expressed by the Chairman and the committee regarding the development of the arts into the future. The Chairman's suggestions on cross-departmental involvement may cause difficulties, but with the enactment of the legislation we will be able to achieve better co-ordination between the State agencies in terms of delivering on a policy for the arts.
The Chairman also raised the question of including circuses within the arts umbrella. The inclusion of circus as an art form is recognised in the Arts Bill. Without pre-empting decisions by the new Arts Council, I hope it will recognise that the Oireachtas has decided that the circus is an arts form and, as such, qualifies for funding. Decisions in relation to funding are a matter for the Arts Council, but the Oireachtas has given a clear indication of what it wants. Those who have been duly elected by the people have decided that the circus is an art from and one is entitled to expect that this will be recognised by any council which is appointed.
The Chairman referred to the recent and welcome conference involving journalists, which managed to consume 4,000 pints of Guinness in the Guinness Hop Store, a tremendous performance by any standards. It might have had something to do with the fact that a Donegal band was entertaining them.
Deputy O'Shea inquired about the position regarding the sale of greyhounds. As I and my Oireachtas colleagues have seven for sale I hope the market is bearing up well.
I thank you, Chairman, and the members of the committee for your kind comments. I also thank the Secretary General and staff of the Department who provide a fine service to the Members of the Oireachtas.
The Minister has been comprehensive in his replies. We have covered a number of issues very well. I thank the Minister, the Secretary General, the assistant secretary and the various officials. You cover a wide ambit, as indicated by the number of questions raised at this meeting.