Vol. 572 No. 1
67 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the Shaping the Future document on the music industry here; his further views on the way in which an employment intensive export-oriented industry which has a vital role to play in tourism development, can be fully exploited in view of the lack of practical music tuition at primary and secondary levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22270/03]
The interim Music Board worked extremely hard on the report to which the Deputy refers, and the measures proposed therein are a sincere attempt to devise a system of supports that would bring the Irish commercial music business forward.
However, I am not yet in a position to agree either to the establishment of the board on a statutory basis, or to the long-term establishment of the kinds of programmes and services that are proposed, pending further consideration of the key issue of whether the input of taxpayers' money that is proposed will yield benefits commensurate with the costs arising. I must also take cognisance of the many other demands for support from the arts sector at a time of budgetary stringency.
Does the Minister agree that we need to create performers and audiences for the future to ensure that, as that Shaping the Future document states, we have an employment intensive export-oriented industry which I assume will have a vital role to play in tourism development? It can only be developed if we invest in the development of performers and thus of audiences. Does he agree that we sometimes abdicate responsibility for the advancement of the arts and the proven holistic development of children because this falls between arts and education? We cannot afford to let it fall between those two stools because we have to have practical music tuition at primary and secondary levels brought up to a stronger base than exists in some schools at present, not to underestimate the good work going on at different phases.
In the context of the upcoming Estimates can we advance the Music Network report to at least initiate the pilot projects mentioned there because it is talking about a 15 year roll-out of that encouragement and support for practical music in the primary and secondary school sectors? Otherwise, another couple of generations of children will go through the school system without the advantage of music as the only subject which is proven to be able to develop the entire brain. I refer the Minister to a recent report completed by our committee. We will be developing that topic further.
I greatly respect the expertise of the board and I respect Deputy Keaveney's perspective too but I have to address this from a slightly different perspective. I have to take account of a broader canvas than that of this particular industry. To date unfortunately no one has been able to demonstrate that the proposals would not impose a net cost on the Exchequer, rising to a substantial net cost over several years. I remain to be persuaded but on the basis of what I have seen I am somewhat cautious. When we fund the Arts Council or the Irish Film Board we do not look for an overall positive return but the idea of the Music Board was to focus on the commercial sector and this implies that we must apply commercial approaches to assessment.
I accept that there is a danger of the music industry falling between two stools and the Cork School of Music comes under the remit of the Department of Education and Science. The respective Departments need to work out a coherent approach to music in this context. I intend to set up an education sub-committee of the Arts Council with terms of reference to look into how there can be greater integration and synergy between my Department and the Department of Education and Science on the arts generally. Specifically, it should be in a position to examine the question of how to advance the cause of the music industry in that respect.
I very much welcome the suggestion of setting up a sub-committee of the Arts Council for education. It is badly needed and overdue. The Minister might also look at the Music Network report and come back to me with his thoughts on that. I used the Shaping the Future document to outline the fact that it proves that music offers intensive employment potential and a significant role in tourism development. I used that as a catalyst for a discussion of how music is seen to be of great advantage, yet there is no investment at primary level to produce the performers of the future. Music education has the spin-off effect of giving a child a good holistic development at primary school level.
