Vol. 455 No. 5
17 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the changes, if any, he deems necessary when appointing an incoming Arts Council to enable the principles and proposals of the three year Arts Council Plan to be fully implemented. [9899/95]
The term of office of the members of An Chomhairle Ealaíon is for a five year period ending in 1998.
The Arts Plan relates to the period 1995 to 1997, that is within the term of office of the membership that prepared the plan.
In all the appointments in his Department to date, the Minister, to his credit, has been more than careful to ensure that there has been a gender balance. There is now a need to set regional quotas in a similar manner because I am concerned about the centralised nature of previous Arts Councils. On the four previous Arts Councils there have never been more than 11 members who were not located in Dublin. It is time to think of ways and means of decentralising the thinking of the Arts Council and its membership. The essence of the plan is that, in future, the arts will be developed on an area basis. Unless we come to terms with the centralised approach adopted in the past that will not happen. Will the Minister take on board the fact that it is important to set quotas on a regional basis for this board and others of a similar nature?
As a founder member of the Regional Studies Association in Ireland I am enthusiastic about regionalism. As regards gender equity, I have legislated for equality on the RTE Authority and the Heritage Council. The exclusion of women from their rightful place is different from the question on regional balance. What the Deputy said is interesting. The primary concern in making appointments is to ensure appointees can make a contribution that transcends personal or local competence. For example, if one is familiar with dance and appointed to the Arts Council one must take decisions in the interests of all the arts. This is a small island and in considering appointees, I have tried to bear in mind that they should keep the cultural unity and shared heritage of the whole island in mind. While taking cognisance of local issues, it is not a time to retreat to the parish, it is time to think on a national, European and international level. While the majority of people live in Dublin it would not be in everyone's interest if all the members were from Dublin. Sporting organisations use a regional quota and perhaps it is more appropriate in that area than in the area of cultural policy.
Perhaps I do not make my points clearly but it is no coincidence that in the past 20 years more than 60 per cent of the membership of the Arts Council were Dublin based.
A brief question, please.
Does the Minister agree it is more than coincidence that 66 per cent of the funding was spent on institutions in the city? The time has come to correct the imbalance between Dublin and the regions. It does not have anything to do with the parish mentality.
In making appointments one must look at the calibre of the individuals concerned. I do not think the figures quoted by the Deputy would hold up because much of the Arts Council funding for arts offices and local authorities——
The local authorities are starved of money.
They work jointly with the local authorities. If it were computed in that way the Deputy would not arrive at the figure mentioned. There is no point in raking over the criteria used to appoint people in the past. As regards future appointments I will try to continue to be as consistent in the excellence of my appointments as I have been to date.
I congratulate the Arts Council on its work. Will the Minister guarantee that those being considered for appointment will be judged on their interest, commitment and expertise in the subject and not just on their political affiliation as happened with some appointees of the RTE Authority?
The Deputy would have to look for exceptions in the case of the RTE Authority. I hope when I am replaced as Minister that these criteria of excellence, adequacy and competence will prevail. The RTE Authority is chaired by a distinguished academic and writer on matters of broadcasting who can approach the position with the innovation required in a time of rapid technological change while being familiar with our national broadcasting structures. The other members have a good contribution to make and the Authority will enjoy complete statutory autonomy.
