Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 January 2014
13. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of persons sitting on the Arts Council at present; when he expects to fill existing vacancies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3975/14]
View answerSection 11 of the Arts Act 2003 deals with the appointment of members of the Arts Council. It specifies that the Council shall consist of a chairperson and 12 ordinary members, each of whom shall, in the opinion of the Minister, have a special interest or knowledge in relation to the arts or matters connected with the functions of the Minister or the Council under this Act. Members are appointed by the Minister for a period of 5 years.
On 15 December last, the chair and 5 ordinary members completed their terms of office. Since that date, there have been seven members on the Arts Council. Yesterday I announced the appointment of a new Chair designate, Ms Sheila Pratschke and five new members to the Council. In line with the procedures for such appointments, Ms Pratschke's position will be confirmed following appearance before the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht at a date to be arranged. The five new members of the Arts Council are Dr. Éimear O’Connor, Ms Monica Spencer, Ms Miriam Dunne, Mr. Brian Maguire and Ms Joan Sheehy.
The Chairperson designate, Ms Sheila Pratschke, was Director of Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris from to 2007 to 2013, and is a former director of both the Tyrone Guthrie Centre from 2001 to 2007 and the Irish Film Institute.
I was delighted to announce the new Chairperson designate and members of the Arts Council. Across the range of artforms- from architecture to the visual arts - the Arts Council plays an extremely important role in supporting individual artists and arts organisations in their work. The arts sector - like every sector in Ireland - has had a challenging time in recent years. The Chairperson designate and new members have a wealth of experience which will benefit the development of the arts in Ireland into the future.
