Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 22 Jun 2016

Vol. 914 No. 2

The Arts: Motion [Private Members]

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I move:

"That Dáil Éireann:

accepts that:

- the arts are essential to the wellbeing and advancement of the Irish people;

- a thriving arts and culture sector makes a positive contribution to the Irish nation; and

- while the arts have an intrinsic value of their own in national life, they also represent an important economic sector, in terms of employment and tourism; and

acknowledges that:

- there is anger, disquiet and disbelief about the effective dilution of the arts as a Cabinet portfolio; and

- public investment in the arts is low by international standards;

commits to:

- protecting the independence of the arts community;

- ensuring a stable, sustainable and secure funding model for the arts with progressive increases in State expenditure in line with improvements in the economy and the public finances;

- enabling full community engagement and benefit from State arts funding;

- supporting the ‘arm’s length principle’ which promotes the Arts Council’s autonomy in disbursing State funding to artists and arts organisations;

- providing much needed investment in the modernisation of facilities offered by the national cultural institutions, where this is lacking;

- enhancing arts provision in our education system and, in particular, increasing music provision in primary schools;

- encouraging all national cultural institutions and, in principle, other bodies in receipt of Arts Council or Government grants to provide discount entry tickets to all young people under the age of 26;

- supporting, in particular, Irish music and dance, and seeking to embrace fully within the arts sector the organisations which provide education, support and events in these areas;

- ensuring that local authorities implement a local arts action plan which benefits local communities and local artists and brings the arts directly to the people;

- re-establishing Culture Ireland as an autonomous entity to promote Irish arts and culture internationally;

- promoting an awareness of the role of arts in society and to promote philanthropy as the heart of that awareness campaign;

- fostering greater dialogue and partnership between the national cultural institutions and the universities of Ireland;

- maintaining the competitiveness of the Irish film industry and film-making in Ireland through appropriate incentives, whilst facilitating the use of heritage in State ownership, where it can be done without prejudice to its integrity;

- encouraging active co-operation between the Arts Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, in particular tours of the island by selected exhibitions and performances; and

- examining the introduction of an Arts Capital Grants Scheme, similar to the Sports Capital Programme; and

- calls for:

- cross-party support to be developed on Culture 2025 with its adoption as national policy being subject to the approval of Dáil Éireann; and

- the restoration of the arts as a distinct and clearly defined Cabinet portfolio providing leadership and State support to the sector.”

I am sure the Minister has read the motion at this stage so I will not go through all the details of it. It is a very thorough and extensive motion. I welcome all those in the Public Gallery who have come here today and I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue.

Fianna Fáil has tabled this motion as testament to our commitment to ensuring that arts and culture remain at the heart of Irish life and that their contribution to a well-rounded society is fully recognised and realised. This motion also comes in the wake of the Government's effective downgrading of the arts as a Cabinet portfolio. There was widespread anger at this move and we believe in the restoration of arts and heritage as a portfolio in its own right. I was honoured to be appointed as the party's Front Bench arts spokesperson by Deputy Micheál Martin. This decision underlines Fianna Fáil's commitment to the arts and heritage and I was extremely pleased by the appointment. It is an area I am very passionate about and have been actively involved in for much of my life since school, having studied in NCAD, worked as an independent curator and through my previous job as an arts education officer for Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board.

In the weeks since my appointment, I have had many meetings with people in the arts community to discuss their concerns, priorities and hopes for the future. This motion is being put forward on foot of that engagement. Our motion also highlights the anger, disquiet and disbelief about the effective dilution of the arts as a Cabinet portfolio. What was formerly the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has been expanded to include regional development and rural affairs and now also has responsibility for the roll out of rural broadband and, it would seem, the development of the post office network.

Fianna Fáil understands and believes in the need for a dedicated Government Department for regional development and rural affairs. After all, we set one up in 2002. However, we are extremely concerned that these crucial issues have been added to an already extensive portfolio and we share the fears that the arts element of the Department may be left behind. Arts was a big fish in a small pond but now the pond is bigger and the concern at that change is legitimate and justified. We urge the Government to reconsider its departmental configurations to ensure that the arts sector is a priority during this term of Government.

A vibrant arts and cultural scene is at the heart of a good life and a strong and vibrant community. Despite being a small country, our strong tradition of literature, music, theatre, festival and dance has placed us on the global stage, copper-fastening Ireland's influence on the arts across the world. It is, therefore, essential that the arts community here at home is given the support and the recognition that it needs. The Minister feels the concerns are not justified and that there will be no change. Many want change and feel that neither this Government nor the administration in office from 2011 to 2016 had sufficient regard for the arts. If the portfolio is diluted, it is the arts that must lose out in terms of ministerial priorities.

Since 1993, when Michael D. Higgins became the first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht at Cabinet, it has had a lead role in Cabinet. After almost a quarter of a century, this has now changed. This may not be the Minister's decision but it is a bad one. It is particularly unfortunate that this should happen during the centenary of 1916. As the National Campaign for the Arts pointed out:

The leaders of 1916 were poets and artists. They understood the importance of the Arts in national life. It is an irony that seems completely lost on this government that they have chosen the Centenary of the Rising to push the Arts further into a comer ... The Arts need a strong voice at the cabinet table.

This year, as in so many other years, the arts have again made Irish people proud. It is time now for the Government to reciprocate and do the arts proud. The Government is not opposing our motion today but I hope it will go beyond that and act on the motion if it is passed by the House.

In tabling this motion on the arts, I am more anxious to celebrate the arts in our country than to denigrate the Government or Minister with whom I share a constituency. Arts policy should be centred on three principles: protecting the independence of the arts community; ensuring a stable, sustainable and secure funding model for the arts; and enabling full community engagement and benefit from State arts funding.

It is my hope that this motion can serve to maximise a political consensus behind the arts. Nowhere is that more important than Culture 2025. I recently called for the forthcoming Culture 2025 strategy to be considered, discussed and voted on by the Dáil before its formal adoption as the official policy of the State. Our motion today incorporates this call. We believe this is a crucial strategy, which will underpin the role of culture in our society and set out the direction of State policy for the next decade. Given the significance of this strategy, it is essential it is supported across the board. The Minister should publish the draft programme so it can be discussed with invited stakeholders in committee in the Oireachtas. Then, if necessary, it can be revised and enhanced by all parties. I want to see a strategy which has definitive targets allied with a real funding allocation. I acknowledge that it may not be possible to get the backing of the Oireachtas but we should strive to get the maximum level of cross party support. This policy should not be the exclusive property of the Government or the Department - it belongs to all of us.

While at this stage we do not propose setting a benchmark for arts investment related to national income, in our election manifesto we pledged year-on-year increases in funding for the arts and we remain committed to that. We certainly accept that funding is too low at this point. The response of the Arts Council to its original budget 2016 allocation was stark and unqualified. The Arts Council chair spoke of it with great disappointment and said it was "a devastating blow to artists and arts organisations already struggling to survive and present work of the highest quality to people across Ireland". She went on to say:

The Government continues to assert that Ireland is a hub of creativity, innovation and flexible thinking, and a smart place to invest in. Credible investment in the arts and culture sector is a vital demonstration of this commitment. I feel that the announcement of our funding today undermines that commitment.

A subsequent additional allocation of €1 million was made in December 2015 but it is clear that the arts and the Arts Council remain underfunded. Arts Council funding is still €25 million less than what was allocated in 2008. Fianna Fáil believes that rapid progress should be made in successive budgets to increase our allocation to the arts. Increasing funding does not mean we would seek greater control. For more than 50 years, the Arts Council has been tasked with generating cultural policy. It has commissioned expert reports and made recommendations in the areas of education, local government, arts participation and audience development. I reiterate the commitment of my party to the arm's length principle which promotes the Arts Council's autonomy in disbursing State funding to artists and arts organisations. This principle allows the Arts Council and its expert arts personnel to assess grant applications and make independent, informed decisions according to agreed and clear criteria.

Given the Government's increasing tendency to centralise funding within the Department of the Arts, this arm's length principle is more important than ever.

This leads me to Culture Ireland, which was set up in 2005 with the remit to promote Irish arts and culture internationally. Culture Ireland has ensured the continual presence of Ireland abroad. Prior to 2005, Ireland was the only country in the EU not to have a dedicated body promoting its cultural profile internationally and despite subsequent funding cuts to Culture Ireland, it attempted to keep non-commercial Irish art and culture visible on the international stage.

My party opposed the previous Government's decision in 2012 to merge its functions into the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. This decision was made as part of the Government's reform plan under the guise of streamlining State bodies. We saw this move as one of several steps taken that have undermined the autonomy and independence of arts promotion and provision outside the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. We favour the reinstatement of a structure which would allow Culture Ireland to work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, IDA Ireland and Tourism Ireland while maintaining its integrity as a body with artistic expertise.

Expertise in any area benefits from early intervention. One of my main priorities is to enhance arts provision in the education system. In 2008, the Arts Council published a report by the Special Committee on the Arts and Education which began, "Arts provision for children and young people both in and out of school is arguably the single greatest fault line in our cultural provision". With more than 800,000 citizens of school-going age in Ireland, this must be a headline arts priority.

Having been involved in the implementation of the Arts in Education Charter in setting up the local arts in education partnership in schools in Cavan and Monaghan, this is an objective I am particularly keen to progress. It is essential that we work with both the artists and the audiences of the future to create and maintain an appreciation for the arts. It is crucial that we build on the Arts in Education Charter and ensure that arts provision is enhanced across the education sector, beginning at primary level. There also needs to be greater co-operation between the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of Education and Skills and the Arts Council so that funding for projects can be secured and rolled out effectively.

However well intentioned, many of the initiatives in the arts and education area rely on the publicly-funded artists and organisations to donate time to education projects. Instead of relying on these ad hoc donations, Fianna Fáil sees an urgent need to increase the joined-up thinking between the Arts Council, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Education and Skills in a more strategic way. We want to see the formalising of the advisory role of the Arts Council to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. We also see a need to establish an advisory role for the national cultural institutions so that their expertise can feed into the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. There should also be a dedicated national arts in education development unit.

The arts are crucial to everyday life in Ireland. In tabling this motion today, I have sought to put it centre stage in political life. I hope today will be the first of many debates that we have on the arts. I commend the motion to the House and I look forward to hearing the contributions of all Deputies.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Heather Humphreys)

I wish to share time with the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath.

First, I thank the Deputies opposite for tabling this motion on the arts. Once again, I congratulate my colleague, Deputy Niamh Smyth, on taking over the role of spokesperson on the arts for her party. As my constituency colleague, I look forward to working closely with her in this area.

Unfortunately, due to new Dáil speaking arrangements, I can only contribute once to today's debate. I will not be able to respond to all the issues raised but Deputy Smyth may rest assured that I will be taking note.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to set out the Government's commitment to arts and culture, including the commitment in A Programme for a Partnership Government to progressively increase funding to the arts as the economy continues to improve. Indeed, the opening line of the programme's section on Arts, Culture and Heritage recalled how our arts and culture were highlighted during the successful 1916 commemorations, and how they were seen to be intrinsic to the Irish State itself. In fairness - I wanted to make sure of this - we put arts at the centre of the 1916 commemorations.

The contribution of the cultural institutions and all of the cultural sector to the 1916 centenary commemorations should be seen as a demonstration of what can be achieved. It is a demonstration of the value of investing in arts and culture, and it can be an inspiration for this new partnership Government, in partnership with all who are committed to our arts and culture, to deliver more for all of our people.

I believe that we have an unparalleled opportunity to capture the cultural collaboration we have experienced in this centenary year. The arts and our culture have been centre stage. The commemorations have not only led to increased funding for the arts, and therefore artists, but they have also reinvigorated our interest in our culture and our pride in our Irishness. I have seen how groups and organisations across the cultural sector, the public sector and, indeed, the private sector have worked together - many for the first time ever - this year. Crucially, the commemorations were not only focussed on Dublin; they were spread right across the country.

Now we have the chance to build on that collaboration and ensure that an appreciation and understanding of the vital nature of culture and creativity remains at the heart of everything we do. For me, that means rethinking how we approach the arts. It means that we do not only state that the arts and culture are good for tourism and jobs, but rather that supporting culture and creativity is vital if we want to create both a fairer society and a thriving economy.

I agree wholeheartedly with much of the sentiment of the motion before the House this evening. The arts are absolutely essential to the well-being of the Irish people and there is no doubt that a thriving arts and culture sector makes a hugely positive contribution to the Irish nation and to the Irish psyche.

I assure Deputies, and, indeed, members of the greater arts community, that the creation of a larger Department with a greater remit will not in any way diminish the importance of arts and culture within Government. On the contrary, a larger Department with wider responsibilities will bring greater weight to bear in promoting the importance of arts and culture right across Government. In fact, it disappointing that many seem to be overlooking the mutually beneficial opportunities which exist for the arts and rural Ireland. The wider responsibility of rural and regional affairs sits well with the commitment in the Government programme to strengthen the role of arts and heritage at local level. In that respect, I will be speaking to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, about establishing cultural units within local authorities to include arts and heritage officers, librarians and museum curators to strengthen the role of arts and culture locally because there is a wealth of creativity in rural Ireland that sometimes can be overlooked or overshadowed. I hope to address this perceived disconnect and encourage creativity country-wide through my brief. As the senior Minister, I want to be clear that I retain responsibility for the arts and I can assure the arts sector that it remains a priority for me.

On the issue of funding, the position is improving. Funding for the Arts Council and the film board is up, and of course, there was significant additional investment in the arts this year through the centenary programme. Much of the allocation of over €18 million in current funding for Ireland 2016 went to supporting cultural events which underpinned the programme, including the enormously successful Reflecting the Rising day out on Easter Monday and the centenary television programme that night, all of which was delivered in partnership with RTE.

The Culture Ireland I am Ireland programme is supporting young and established artists to present their work internationally. Retaining as much of this money as possible is a priority for me as we head into the budgetary and Estimates processes.

Approximately €31 million in capital funding was also provided for major centenary projects, including the new and very successful commemorative and visitor centre at the GPO, Teach an Phiarsaigh, and The Tenement Museum.

There are continuing demands for capital investment in our national cultural institutions and I will work to build on the good progress to date.

In terms of broader cultural policy, work is continuing on Culture 2025. My Department is continuing to consider inputs on the draft document from the steering and expert groups that I established, and I expect to forward a draft for consideration to the relevant Oireachtas committee shortly. The publication of the framework policy will be a starting point and will be followed by action and implementation. Many of the other matters in today's motion are also contained as commitments in the Government programme, including the continued implementation of the arts in education charter. The Deputy did much work locally on that and I, as Minister responsible for the arts, fully supported her in the Cavan-Monaghan Education and Training Board arts and education initiative, which was held up as an example to the rest of the country. I want to see work continuing on that arts and education charter, which is very important and worthwhile. It is important that we get the artists into the school because, when children are exposed to different forms of art, it really connects and gets them involved, giving them something they can carry for the rest of their lives. Also in the Government programme is the important role of local authorities, further encouraging strong and mutually beneficial links between the business community and arts organisations and the maximisation of the contribution of the film industry. I have taken a considerable personal interest in the film industry.

Fine Gael in government has significantly improved the section 481 film tax relief. Following the recent Cannes film festival, I know other European Union countries are looking at this very successful model that we rolled out. The Revenue Commissioners estimate that projects availing of the section 481 relief in 2015 supported 1,200 jobs, with total combined expenditure of almost €160 million. The Irish Film Board produces excellent results from its relatively small budget and if that budget is progressively increased, the creative potential will be great.

I look forward to working with all partners and across all parties of this House to develop and implement initiatives that support and encourage arts and creativity for the betterment of our society as a whole. I look forward to hearing the contributions. If we are all serious about helping the arts and cultural communities to thrive, it is incumbent on all of us to work together to ensure our cultural sector is supported and recognised.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Finian McGrath)

I warmly welcome the debate on the arts and I am delighted with the cross-party support of this motion. I encourage all Deputies to support it because the arts are important as part of our being and who we are. Only last week I met a number of artists, including Ms Garry Hynes from the Druid, Mr. Eugene Downes of the Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ms Anne Clarke from Landmark Productions and Mr. Feargal Hynes from the Druid. They made a very comprehensive and convincing case on arts funding. I strongly support their views in this evening's debate.

I also welcome that our Minister has accepted this motion and the Government is not opposing it. There is unity on this issue. As well as having such unity, we must have common sense. We must face the reality that we need adequate funding for the arts sector. We also need a visionary approach to arts and culture policy into the future. We also need the Department - and Members across parties - to rally around arts and culture in the country.

We must consider examples of good practice in other countries. In France they have a vision of culture, culture is at the heart of Canadian society, and Iceland has massive support and understanding for the arts. These are examples, but in Ireland we must focus on adequate funding for the sector. We must ensure people in the arts sector are looked after, as there is much poverty evident in it. There are low-paid artists in and out of work, for example. We must deal with such issues with strategic and sustainable funding. I urge everybody to unite around this matter. My portfolio deals with disability issues and there is a large pool of talent in that area that could be brought into the arts. We also need the arts community to go into areas of economic disadvantage, where again there is much talent that is not being tapped. I thank everybody for their support. We must all work together in the interests of the arts community.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Alan Farrell)

I gave the Minister of State some leeway.

Deputy Finian McGrath

Thank you.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Alan Farrell)

Five Sinn Féin Deputies are sharing time. I assume it will be three minutes apiece.

Deputy Peadar Tóibín

Ba mhaith liom cúig nóiméad a thógáil agus an chuid eile a roinnt leis na daoine eile. I also laud the Acting Chairman's generosity with the time.

Creideann Sinn Féin go bhfuil ról lárnach, luachmhar agus ríthábhachtach ag na healaíona, ag an gcultúr, ag an oidhreacht, ag an nGaeilge agus ag na Gaeltachtaí i ndea-fheidhmiú agus i leas ár sochaí in Éirinn. Is cuid dar bhféiniúlacht iad leis na gcianta, mar Stát agus mar dhaoine.

Arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht are central to who we are as people, deeply embedded in the psyche and fabric of Irish society in towns, communities and across the country. They give us a sense of place and belonging. They are also central to our birth as a State; I can think of no other country that can map its genesis so completely to a revolution so immersed in the arts, culture, heritage and language, in the form of the Irish language. When the Government members are abroad they trade on the words of our Nobel laureates, while at home the Government wheels out the sector in order to impress guests. However, there is a deceitful dichotomy in the superficial way the State deals with the arts.

The arts sector is populated by artists who, on average, earn less than or the same as those on social welfare. It is unbelievable that we have a Minister who typically earns ten times the average salary of artists in this State when she claims to represent them. Precarious employment in the arts is the rule rather than the exception and, in an unfortunate Irish tradition, many of our finest artists are forced to leave the country in order to survive.

The Government has created a Frankenstein Department without coherence, spanning a diverse range including mná tí, ballet, bogs, butterflies and broadband. The arts has no specific Minister at Cabinet and any pretence otherwise is transparent nonsense. Having no voice at the decision-making table means there is no influence, and the words "culture" and "heritage" have been drop-kicked from the Department's name. The Government in the past number of years has seen the arts sector as the first stop for cuts and budget reductions. The Arts Council has lost 27% of its budget since 2008, the Irish language has lost 51% of its budget since 2008 and the Heritage Council has lost over 60% of its funding since 2008. These are not victimless cuts. They hit at every level of the arts sector in the State and individuals at a local level working within the arts community. Funding is both a measure of Government priority and the key foundation on which this sector operates. The Irish budget for the arts is a fifth of the average European budget, which is a shocking statistic and an indictment of this Government's policy. The necessary spaces in which artists cross-pollinate cannot be created without funds. This Government is involved in bogus economics and even if one measures the arts sector based on just the greasy till and ignores the intrinsic value of the art itself, one should know that investment in the arts makes economic sense.

This year in Meath we will be blessed with both the Kells Hay Festival and the Guth Gafa international documentary festival. The Hay Festival's audience has grown from 1,000 people to 250,000 visitors worldwide. This generates millions of euro of revenue for its host towns. An Guth Gafa was based in Donegal but because of the threadbare budget it had, it was forced to move and is now operating elsewhere.

According to Indecon, €1 invested in the arts leads to about €3 being returned. Of the annual budget spent on the arts, nearly three quarters is directly returned to the Exchequer through taxation, either income tax or VAT, and for every €1 the Irish Film Board has invested in a film and television production €6 is returned.

Every song, poem, film, painting and play we produce creates a window for the rest of the world to peer through and get to know us as a people. This has enormous value, which influences positively every further engagement we have with the rest of the globe. By these measures alone, the Government's policies are damaging. However, these measures alone are far too narrow. They disregard the intrinsic value and contribution of the arts, heritage and culture sectors to society. They feed our souls, stimulate our minds and lift our spirits, something that is vitally important in these tough times. I know we have a short time on our side.

This year saw the organic development of the Waking the Feminists movement, which highlighted the disenfranchisement and chronic under-representation of the work of women artists. This movement has put equality at the centre stage of the arts. We need to ensure that the voices and artistic expressions of Ireland's marginalised groups, ethnic minorities, homeless people and people with disabilities have full access to the mainstream.

Deputy Gerry Adams

Gabhaim buíochas le Fianna Fáil as ucht an rúin seo a chur chun cinn. Táim fíorbhuíoch as ucht an deis labhairt ar an rún atá os comhair na Dála ar ábhar tábhachtach atá cóngarach do mo chroí. The arts, despite their contribution to society and our national identity, have faced substantial budget cuts and a lack of commitment to their development in recent years. We see the outworkings of that in the recent decision to downgrade the arts in the reconfiguration of Departments. That is not the Minister's fault and I am sure she will do her best in all of this, but we do need a dedicated arts Minister or Minister of State to drive their development. Tá an Stát tar éis ár n-ealaíontóirí is fearr agus ár n-oidhreacht is fearr a thaispeáint mar chuid de chomóradh an chéid, sa bhliain ina bhfuil muid ag ceiliúradh Éirí Amach 1916.

Mar a dúirt an Teachta Tóibín, the arts bring us enjoyment and calmness, they allow us to be excited, they uplift us and they should be supported. However, they are more than that intrinsic thing. They can also be a social, cultural and creative outlet and an economic driver. Those who visit Ireland come to enjoy our heritage and historical sites. They go on a night out, they go to the theatre, a book reading, a ballad session or a concert. The film industry here, even though it is from a very small catchment area, is now winning prizes internationally.

Last Wednesday and Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting with local artists from my constituency, including Paul Hayes, Bríd McBride, Laurence McKeown, Patricia Duffy and Colette McGahon. They are all involved in the National Campaign for the Arts. I fully support their calls for a dedicated Minister for the arts and for an increase in funding for the sector.

Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Gabhaim buíochas leo siúd a chur an rún seo faoinár gcomhair inniu. Tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil muid ag déanamh plé ar na healaíona mar ró-mhinic ní dhéantar plé orthu nó ar na healaíontóirí. Sin é an príomhfháth go bhfuilimid anseo inniu. Mar mhac ealaíontóra, tuigim go maith na fadhbanna a bhíonn ag ealaíontóirí agus iad ag triail a gceard a chleachtadh, ní hamháin ó thaobh infheistíochta de ach uaireanta ó thaobh spás a bheith acu chun an ealaín sin a chleachtadh, nó an t-airgead a bheith acu chun an spás sin a bheith acu. Is gá dúinn díriú isteach ar seo i gceart. Muna dhéanaimid é, beimid thíos mar shochaí dá thairbhe sin.

Every cent that is spent on the arts, whether in schools, colleges or in the public realm, enhances us as a society. Everybody in this House will agree with that. We are here as policy-makers and our decisions here dictate what happens outside these Chambers. Pennypinchers should regard it as an investment in our society, not just in the artist, the art space or the works of art. Deputy Tóibín has shown that whatever we invest in the arts, we get it back in spades, in tourism, employment, goodwill, exports, digital media and our reputation. Major opportunities will exist if we are to come out of the recession that was imposed on us by Governments and by the EU.

However, we can only benefit from those investments if we look at exactly what is needed in the arts. In many cases, it is access to artist's studios and access for those who are under the living wage and under the social welfare payments to spaces in which to live and to carry out their works. We also need to ensure the arts are a prominent part of local authority planning and any major public works. In particular, we have opportunities in terms of the National Children's Hospital. Where else but a children's hospital can we allow our imagination to run wild? I call on the Minister for Health, as he plans that hospital and the satellite units, to use the opportunity to enhance the arts in that realm.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan

I welcome all the people in the Public Gallery. It is great to see such a crowd. We do not normally get so many people here.

The arts are part of the DNA of the Irish State. Their very uniqueness is what makes us who we are as a people. In this sense, the arts and our cultural institutions are the key producers of Irish identity. In a mature society that values expression and creativity, the arts have the potential to enrich all our lives. They make us more human and help us to think about the world and our place in it in a more imaginative, innovative and abstract way. Irish artists enhance our international reputation through movie screens, bookshelves, theatres and concert stages. This presence, in turn, drives tourism from abroad.

At a more fundamental level, the arts and cultural institutions have a humanising effect on society by bringing softness, imagination and creativity to communities that have been forgotten in economic and infrastructural terms by those in power. In my city of Limerick we have found that one of the best ways of assisting new immigrants to integrate is through the arts. A progressive State arts policy must have inclusivity at its core. This requires us to value actively the everyday culture of ordinary people and not just "high art". In 2014 Limerick City of Culture opened up the arts to diverse groups across the whole of the city. Venues worked with a wide range of groups from across the city and the Lime Tree Theatre, in particular, hosted a performance from the residents of Moyross, which was well-received by everybody in the city.

The creative sector is important for the economy but its value must be about more than profit. Neither should we deprive localities of a vibrant arts scene by concentrating supports for the arts in the capital. The heritage and culture of Ireland belong to all the people on the island of Ireland. It is the State's responsibility to ensure we have an independent and vibrant arts sector.

Deputy Carol Nolan

The arts and heritage sector has endured many cuts. It has been virtually decimated. I welcome the €2 million being allocated to the heritage sector this year, but I would like to point out that many projects have been held back as a result of the cuts that have taken place over the years.

In my constituency of Laois-Offaly, there is a bridge, the Ardara Bridge, that is believed to date back to the 1500s. Two archaeologists have studied this bridge. Ten years later, that bridge is still under scaffolding. It is impacting on our potential as a county to generate more tourism. I call on the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to look at that project, which has been held up as a result of the cuts over the years.

I welcome the €2 million being put into heritage this year and I hope it will be used to good effect.

Deputy Joan Burton

There are many ways in which we can renew and revitalise Ireland, but without a doubt an important pillar of renewing and revitalising our country is to refocus our support for the arts and culture. In that context, I am happy to support the motion put forward by Deputy Niamh Smyth.

An Ireland of opportunity for all would not just deliver a good education system, good jobs and investment in essential public services. To paraphrase what Seán O’Casey said of Jim Larkin, our fight must be not just to put bread on the tables of working families, but a rose in the vase, too. The arts were not exempt from the difficult adjustments of recent years. The resilience shown by musicians, writers, actors, film makers and other artists during this period of retrenchment has been remarkable. They have, in no small way, helped our country recover from the reputational damage inflicted by the financial collapse.

As the budgetary constraints lessen, and we have leeway for investment again, I believe it is time to plan for a new settlement of public support for the arts with a new public endowment for the arts in Ireland. Many dividends would arise from such investment. One is, of course, the pure economic gain, which is very substantial, but the importance of the arts and culture goes far beyond their monetary value. They define our character as a nation. Publicly funded art and culture display the dynamism of Ireland to the entire world. In turn, they encourage creativity and innovation in architecture, fashion, technology, product design, music and entertainment. If one believes in a more equal society, access to the arts is an essential ingredient, starting with our education system.

Three years ago, the trade union movement remembered the epic battle of the 1913 Lock-out. That centenary was marked by two particular events which illustrate my point. One was the remarkable Tapestry project, initiated by artists Robert Ballagh and Cathy Henderson, which brought together volunteers from a wide range of community groups, trade unions, the arts, schools and, indeed, the inmates of Limerick Prison. The final result was magnificent but no less important was the collaborative process by which it was developed and created.

Another commemorative event, in which I had an involvement as Minister for Social Protection, was for a group called RADE, Recovery through Art, Drama and Education, whose mission is to engage drug users with the arts and therapeutic supports. This project brought participants through all the elements of staging a drama about 1913. The poet, Paula Meehan, wrote the following about the project:

The project that is RADE allows the powerful processes of art to work their magic - painting, writing, acting, making in all its forms. RADE puts creativity at the service of personal transformation.

Ireland's economic renewal is taking shape and we need to take stock of what contribution can come from renewed investment in the arts. A couple of weeks ago, the Taoiseach had the privilege of opening Ireland 100 in the Kennedy Centre in Washington. The film director, Lenny Abrahamson, used the occasion to make the point that the arts were not just a photo opportunity for politicians, no matter how distinguished.

Occasionally, I bunk off from this place and go to see a film or a bit of theatre and I had the great pleasure a couple of weeks ago of going to see an adaptation of Lady Susan, the Jane Austen novella, called "Love and Friendship". I was delighted to see An Bord Scannán’s name on the credits because it was filmed, to a very significant extent, in the most beautiful Georgian places in Dublin. Jane Austen fans will know that at the end the heroes or heroines – usually heroines - generally got their woman or man.

An unfortunately large number of responsibilities have been given to the current Minister with responsibility for the arts and culture. It is well known in politics that if one is Minister for everything, one is, by and large, Minister for nothing. If I have heard anything from this discussion from all parties this afternoon, it is that we need to focus on reinstating what Michael D. Higgins, now our President, initiated when he became the first Minister exclusively for arts, culture and heritage when serving in Government in the 1990s. It led to a significant renaissance in the arts so it is important that all parties think of having a dedicated Ministry for the arts whenever a government is formed. The Government should have a global Irish forum on the arts in Ireland, modelled on the successful economic global Irish forum. So many people are involved in the arts in Ireland that we have a good story to tell. We also have a dark past in respect of the arts. My colleague beside me is from Limerick, as was an earlier speaker, and they will know that Kate O’Brien’s great novel The Land of Spices was banned by an earlier censorship board because there was a glimpse of two men being intimate with each other at one point in the novel.

The arts tell so many different stories of what life in Ireland has been like down the ages and how it can be imagined in the future, for better or worse. For that reason, I end by calling for cross-party agreement for a suggestion. Yesterday, we received the summer economic statement and it is clear that significant additional funds will be available to the Government by the end of the year. There are many requests for those funds but when I was in government as Tánaiste and Deputy Howlin was Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, we prioritised getting more funding into the arts in this special centenary year. There is a lot of capital renewal is going on relating to important institutions such as the National Gallery and the National Library. I propose that we continue the endowment that has gone into the commemoration of 1916 by rolling it over into the arts at both capital and current levels. We have to find the money to begin to re-endow the arts in a more generous way in this country and we can do that by agreement in the forthcoming budget. We are not taking money from anywhere else but continuing a quantity of money that was put in place by the previous Government for both capital and current funding of the arts. I would like to hear a response from other parties, and particularly the Minister, who I know is a great champion of the arts, to the effect that they will support this in the forthcoming budget.

Deputy Eugene Murphy

Can I make a point of order?

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

No. I call on Deputy Boyd Barrett.

Deputy Eugene Murphy

I wish to make one point of order. I welcome the statement from the Labour Party Deputy but I remind her that under her stewardship virtually every festival in every constituency had its funding cut.

Deputy Brendan Howlin

That is not a point of order.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

I ask Deputy Murphy to resume his seat.

Deputy Eugene Murphy

Let us be honest about this.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett and Mick Barry are sharing time, with five minutes and four minutes, respectively.

Deputy Brendan Howlin

The Acting Chairman allowed a point of order when there was no point of order. He has allowed a discordant voice to come into the argument.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

There must be one speaker and that is the Chair at the moment. I have called Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett.

Deputy Joan Burton

On a point of order, there are artists in the Gallery.

Deputy Eugene Murphy

That is not the point. You cut the money.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

I asked the Deputy to resume his seat.

Deputy Brendan Howlin

You are a disgrace.

Deputy Eugene Murphy

It is forgotten quickly.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

I asked the Deputy to resume his seat, which he duly did. I now call on Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett, who is sharing time with Deputy Mick Barry. They have five minutes and four minutes, respectively. I ask Deputy Boyd Barrett to move his amendment and I would like to hear from the Deputy, without interruption.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I move amendment No 1:

1. (a) To insert the following after “accepts that”:

“— artistic endeavour and creativity define what it is to be human;”

(b) To insert the following after “advancement of the Irish people”:

“and humanity in general”

(c) To delete the words:

“— ensuring a stable, sustainable and secure funding model for the arts with progressive increases in State expenditure in line with improvements in the economy and the public finances;”

and replace with:

“— increasing State funding of the arts to the European average of 0.6 per cent of gross domestic product, GDP; and adding an additional €75 million in funding to the arts in budget 2017;

— removing the ‘availability for work’ requirement for registered artists on jobseeker's allowance to allow artists to do unpaid work;”

(d) To insert the following after “increasing music provision in primary schools”:

“— ensuring all children have greater access to culture and art as a right, both within and outside education;

— establishing a new fund targeted at promoting access to arts in participation in disadvantaged areas for adults and children;

— opening up existing facilities such as schools and colleges for after-school artistic activities for children and teenagers and opening up the National Asset Management Agency’s, (NAMA, buildings for use by local arts organisations;” and

(e) To insert the following after “calls for”:

“— the establishment of a ‘new deal’ jobs programme to deliver at least 5,000 new jobs in the public sector for artists, offering an opportunity for artists to contribute their skills and creativity to society in areas such as education, special needs, disability, mental health and disadvantaged communities and for the elderly;"

I thank Fianna Fáil for tabling a motion on the arts. We support the general thrust of its motion but PBP-AAA has submitted an amendment which I hope the proposers of the motion will accept. I will run through it briefly in the short period of time available to me. In addition to the measures proposed in the Fianna Fáil motion, we are proposing to increase State funding to the arts to the European average of 0.6%, starting with an additional €75 million in funding in the arts budget in 2017. We propose to remove the availability for work requirement for registered artists on jobseeker's allowance to allow artists, who want to, to do unpaid work. Further, we propose to ensure that all children have greater access to culture and art as a right both within and outside education, to establish a new fund targeted at promoting access to arts participation in disadvantaged areas for adults and children, to open up existing facilities in schools and colleges for after-school artistic activities for children and teenagers, to open up NAMA's buildings for use by local arts organisations and, finally, to establish what we are calling a "new deal" jobs programme to deliver 5,000 new jobs directly in the public sector for artists in the areas of education, special needs, disability, mental health, disadvantaged communities and the elderly.

I will explain the rationale. It is very easy for people of all colours on the political spectrum to utter pious words about their commitment to arts and to stand in photographs at artistic events but then not to match rhetoric with real support and funding for the arts and artists. This has been fact, in particular under the impact of the recession of the past eight or nine years. During this time both the Fianna Fáil-Green Government and the Labour Party-Fine Gael Government slashed arts funding and supports to artists. Since 2008 to date, they have slashed arts funding progressively between them by 30%, further immiserating artists who are already low paid and hitting at the access of children and those in disadvantaged communities to the arts. We do not need pious words but real and concrete action.

I will quote a few artists. The sculptor and artist, Henry Moore, said: "To be an artist is to believe in life." Picasso said: "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Karl Marx said: "The writer must earn money in order to live and write but he must by no means live and write for the purpose of making money." The thing that bothers me is that even when a case is made for the arts, it often has to be justified in economic terms. I do not believe this should be the case. We need to recognise that art is what defines us as human beings. It is our ability to imagine things that are not there and then to go out and create them that is the very defining characteristic of our humanity. Therefore, to deny access to the arts to children and all sections of our society, in particular the poor, the disenfranchised, the elderly and the disabled, is to deny them the right to be human beings. We have never fully recognised or acknowledged that fact. We have never matched the pious words about support for the arts with the real resources that would make that sort of thing a reality, support the arts and infuse the whole of our culture with the influence of the arts.

We need to move beyond rhetoric and come up with the money. Stop the cuts and stop the arts being the soft touch whenever things get difficult. We should recognise that art is what we are as human beings and what people are entitled to, but consistently denied access to. I commend our amendment to the House. It tries to match the rhetoric we hear to what is required to make it fact.

Deputy Mick Barry

A great play begins with the following scene:

GALILEO: Put the milk on the table. But don't shut any of my books.

ANDREA [the housekeeper's son]: Mother says we must pay the milkman. If we don't, he'll soon be making a circle round our house [...]

GALILEO: The expression is: he will be describing a circle, Andrea.

ANDREA: All right. If we don't pay, he'll be describing a circle round us, Signor Galilei.

GALILEO: While the bailiff, Signor Cambione, will come straight here by taking what sort of a line between two points?

ANDREA grinning: The shortest.

The great German Communist playwright, Brecht, describes all too well in that scene the conflict between creative endeavour and economic pressure, a conflict all too familiar for artists in this country and more than many others. Artists in this country know the experience of having to duck and dive and of trying to do their art while surviving on a community employment scheme or an internship. They know the experience of having to haggle with the officer down at the local dole office to try to explain that the work they are doing is genuine work and that they should not be forced to go out and do work which cuts across that which they wish to do and invest their labour in. They know the experience of trying to find a studio they can afford.

This affects all artists but it affects, in particular, female artists. What is the median income of an artist in this country? For a man, it is the very low figure of €11,148. For a woman, it is way less at €5,982. This can be contrasted with the situation in France where payment is made by the state to artists who work more than 507 hours over a ten month period. It can also be contrasted with the situation of many of the workers artists work alongside in, for example, theatres or community centres. Builders or electricians are on higher rates of pay. There is a lesson there for the artistic community. It needs to be organised and unionised and it needs to fight. This is being done, but artists need full support when doing it.

We often talk about the great condition in this country of our writers, poets, singers and artists. Unfortunately, there is another tradition, which is a tradition of Philistinism and it is a tradition which is particularly strong in the establishment down through the years. When Yeats wrote about the people fumbling in the greasy till in "September 1913" he wrote about the shopkeeper mentality among the aspiring ruling elite at the time. Other Deputies have mentioned the establishment censorship that was imposed on artists during the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. However, who stands in their tradition? Does not a Government which allocates 0.11% to the arts stand in that bad, Philistine tradition? I argue that it does. A figure of 0.3% is a step forward, but it is only half of the European average. In our modest demands in this amendment, we want the European average and we will continue to campaign and fight for it, irrespective of the vote, which we hope will be carried.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

Deputies Maureen O'Sullivan, Thomas Pringle and Catherine Connolly from Independents4Change are sharing their time in the order of four and a half minutes, two and a half minutes and two minutes. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan

I love the line that Captain Boyle comes out with in "Juno and the Paycock" when he asks, "what is the moon?" and "what is the stars?". I think we could ask the question as well today: what are the arts? We know the traditional answer and we know that it encompasses everything from painting to sculpture, architecture, music, poetry, literature, the performing arts, dance, film, photography and crafts.

We could say that all of us have been touched, in one way or the other, by the arts. For me, the arts are not just about the big theatres, art galleries, lavish productions, blockbusters, Oscars and Booker prizes but are also about the smaller productions and the community initiatives and ventures. Dublin has been very lucky with quite a number of these. I am thinking about the smaller theatres such as Draíocht, Axis, The New Theatre, the Viking and the Seán O'Casey centre and about all the local festivals, whether it is Phizzfest or the Five Lamps. Most of these began as just a small idea from a group of people. I will move outside of Dublin to another place I love, that is, Cape Clear Island where about 20 years ago, a couple of people had the idea of a storytelling festival. It has now become an international storytelling event.

A recent initiative in Drumcondra is linking business and the arts. It is taking over available spaces for people in the arts, whether painting, music, dance or theatre. Allied to that is space for start-up businesses. The business and arts link has been acknowledged by our colleges with their degree offerings in arts and business, such as those from NUI Maynooth and Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

I think all Deputies have an example of the way in which the arts have been part of their communities and constituencies. I have a particular interest in theatre and in education and I am very sad to see the demise of TEAM Theatre. It did great work in our schools around particular issues. It presented the issues in drama form and then followed up with discussions with the students. I also acknowledge the initiative by the Abbey Theatre with local schools and youth group groups in the vicinity. All of these initiatives contributed to the development and stretched the abilities and potential of young people. We know that the arts have a role in encouraging diversity and tolerance. The arts are also good for mental health, on which we could all do more, including in this establishment.

It is very difficult to see how the Government is recognising the wealth of the arts when it includes the arts in a very wide portfolio. What is the reasoning apart from a very vague and woolly point about the arts being important in rural Ireland, which nobody denies.

I will now turn to the work of the Association of Artists Representative Organisations, AARO, which tells us about the reality of life for artists and the way in which they were extremely badly hit during the recession. We know that artists are poorly paid and that it is a very unstable career. Artists' freelance status excludes them from many of the safeguards which are normally provided for those in employment. Artists do not have collective bargaining rates of pay in respect of freelance creators. Collective bargaining would enable artists' organisations to negotiate minimum terms and better contracts. Ireland is behind the EU average for spending on arts.

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in this State is the person who issues the licence to net live hares for live here coursing. I do not think that is in the brief of any minister for arts and culture in any country in Europe.

In regard to Moore Street and the High Court challenge, the potential for an historical cultural quarter there could be lost and what we could end up with is a glass box and more shops selling leprechaun hats and covers for mobile phones. That to me is not culture. We are talking about cultural policy and I hope there is real engagement on that with communities throughout the country.

Maidir lenár dteanga dúchais, ní dóigh liom go bhfuil go leor á dhéanamh againn chun tacú leis an teanga agus is páirt an-mhór í sin inár n-oidhreacht chomh maith.

Deputy Thomas Pringle

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate this afternoon. The arts play a vital role across the Irish society and it should be recognised more. However, I believe we are missing the point when we talk and make arguments about whether there should be Minister for the arts. We should insist on is that the Government recognises economic, social and cultural rights across all of society, regardless of whether the Minister for the arts or whether the arts are included in a wideranging brief. We should insist that Government policy recognises the cultural rights of all our citizens to be able to express themselves through the arts and to make a living for themselves and their families through artistic endeavour no matter where they live in the country.

I wish to speak about my own county of Donegal where it is extremely difficult, or virtually impossible, for people in rural parts to actually make a life within the arts. Donegal would probably be one of the better counties in its support for the arts through Donegal County Council and the good work it does with the Earagail Arts Festival and the Donegal Bay and Bluestacks Festival, and the wider cultural remit of the council.

However, the arts are always the first thing to be cut whenever difficulties arise with funding. It is the same on a national level and that is the problem of the arts experience. If we had a society that recognised the cultural rights of all our citizens, that would not be the case. We could see the value the arts provide not only for the individuals who work in the arts and who provide for a greater society but all of us. That is vitally important. We should provide a system that encourages our young people to get involved and to be able to express themselves because it does wonders for their confidence and their sense of self-worth, which feeds into the wider community. That is what we should aim to achieve. Having a Minister designated to the arts will not change that and will not deliver. What will deliver is having a Government and a society that recognises cultural rights for all citizens.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

Ag teacht ó chathair na Gaillimhe, cathair dhátheangach na tíre, ní féidir liom ach mo thacaíocht a thabhairt don rún seo. Déanaim comhghairdeas le Fianna Fáil. Coming from Galway city, the bilingual capital of the State, I could not but support this motion. Coming from a Galway where we have Cúirt, the Galway Arts Festival, the film festival, the Galway Early Music Festival, Music for Galway, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe and so on, I could not but support this rún. These events have put Galway city on the map and they have done that struggling on a shoestring budget despite the best efforts of councillors to give money every year.

Prior to the last election, the arts organisations approached all of the candidates and asked us to endorse the arts. They made very simple suggestions, the first of which was to restore arts funding to at least 0.3% of the GDP. The second suggestion was to ensure that all local authorities in the country filled the vacant positions of art officers and produced arts plans by the end of 2016. The third suggestion was to actively fund creative industries and arts through the local enterprise boards and LEADER. The fourth suggestion was to reclassify spending on the arts as non-discretionary. These are four basic recommendations that could implemented very easily.

In addition, the arts organisations highlighted - Galway is one example but it applies throughout the country - five key areas, including the lack of permanent accessible and affordable space for artists, the lack of space for them to show, the lack of space for them to learn and the necessity for space in which to start. Ina theannta sin, chuir siad béim ar an teanga. Tá luach €136 milliún i gceist le luach na Gaeilge do chathair agus Contae na Gaillimhe. Tá €59 milliún den mhéid sin ag baint leis an gcathair í fhéin.

Dúirt Deputy Boyd Barrett that we really should not look at this as an economic issue. I understand the point he made but it is extremely important for the Government because it is very taken by numbers and economy. The figures for the Irish film industry are simply extraordinary given this is a tiny country with a tiny film industry. The audio-visual sector alone is worth €550 million, it employs 6,000 individuals and more than 560 small and medium enterprises. If one goes back to bord snip nua, chaired by Colm McCarthy, the first thing that was going to be cut was the Irish Film Board which was to be amalgamated into Enterprise Ireland. I would suggest amalgamating Enterprise Ireland with the Irish Film Board and then we would go places sa tír seo.

An Ceann Comhairle

I call on Deputies Michael Healy-Rae, Michael Collins and Danny Healy-Rae. The group has nine minutes. How do they wish to share their time? Will it be three minutes each?

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

It will be four minutes, two minutes and three minutes.

I welcome very sincerely everyone in the Gallery from the arts sector. I compliment Deputy Smyth for tabling this motion today. I support fully her many sound proposals in the motion. "The arts" as defined under the Arts Act 2003 means: "Any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes;" The arts are something that define us as a nation and give us our distinct image and are seen by everyone who looks at Ireland. They are what shape us and our young people growing up and give us our distinct personality. For example, our music and dance are completely unique to this country.

I support the call to enhance music and dance in our schools, especially in primary schools. I remember being taken out for music and dance lessons as a young boy and it was great, it gave us a sense of involvement along with being then able to participate as I did in many Munster and all-Ireland fleadhanna cheoil. It is a big attraction for tourists and it was great for us as young people. It is our uniqueness that makes us as a nation. That is why I believe not only should we ensure we maintain what we have but also invest and expand in communities where all of this begins. I fully support Deputy Smyth's call for the introduction of an arts capital grant scheme, similar to the existing sports capital grant.

We are living in a golden era of Irish film in Ireland. We have received much international attention in recent years with Irish films winning in almost every major international award ceremony such as Academy Awards, the Cannes Jury Prize, the Golden Bear in Berlin and the International Confederation of Art Cinemas, CICAE, to name but a few. We have some of the most recognised and decorated actors in the world who represent our nation, including Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Michael Fassbender etc. Ireland is an excellent co-producing partner for European and international productions with a wide range of financial incentives for film and television, excellent facilities, stunning locations and award winning cast and crew on offer. The recent improvements to Ireland's tax incentive section 481 for film and television production has dramatically improved Ireland's competitive position as a film location.

When mentioning film, I have to compliment the actions of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Heather Humphreys, in the last Government, who was the sole person to ensure that "Star Wars" came to Kerry. She will go down in the pages of history as being the person who had the gumption to sign the order. I will always compliment her and give her the full credit for that. Everybody is shouting about it now and they are all delighted but it took a Minister with gumption at the time to make sure it became a reality.

I acknowledge the great work done by Noelle Campbell Sharp at Cill Rialaig in Ballinskelligs. She had a vision and did great things to ensure that the whole project under the chairmanship of my lifelong friend, Mr. Nicholas Browne of Ballinskelligs, developed at that time.

Deputy Michael Collins

I wish the Minister the very best in her new role as Minister for regional development, rural affairs, arts and the Gaeltacht. It is a huge role and she has a huge task ahead.

Arts are a fundamental part of our society, not only because of their intrinsic value but also due to the measurable impact on our physical health, mental health, social well-being, our education system, our national status and our economy. Our arts and culture are a strategic national resource that need to be cherished and invested in. The Government needs to truly take on board the enormous contribution which the arts have made and can continue to make to our economy and society.

I call on the Minister to fight for investment in the arts and to bring the capital investment from 0.11% of GDP to at least 0.3%, bearing in mind that the EU average is 0.6% of GDP. I also call on the Minister to examine the level of arts funding provided to west Cork. The arts in west Cork are among the lowest funded in the country. When measured as Arts Council funding per capita, Dublin gets €51.31, Cork City gets €22.95 and County Cork gets only €3.42. West Cork is a hub for the arts with over 530,000 people visiting the area for the arts last year. An example of the success of the arts in west Cork is its three music festivals in Bantry which deliver an economic impact of just under €2.5 million and 21 local jobs. Visitor numbers exceed 5,000 with 26% of the visitors coming from abroad. For every €1 provided in funding €7.60 is delivered. I call on the Minister to improve the arts funding for west Cork and please to treat rural Ireland equally in terms of funding and therefore opportunities. I also urge the Minister to consider creating tax incentives for those who wish to support the arts in this country.

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, [and] to enjoy the arts”. I ask the Minister please to increase funding for the arts to ensure that everyone in Ireland can experience and participate in the arts. Like Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, I congratulate the Minister on the work she did to bring "Star Wars" to Kerry. It came to my area too, which will be a huge economic boost to Brow Head, Crookhaven, Goleen and west Cork. It has left a mark that will not be forgotten and may encourage others to invest there.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

I want to ask for financial support for rural and local festivals around the country because by means of these festivals and fair days and vintage rallies and so forth people and parishes retain their identities. This is the last bastion or way they have of showing their individual identities. Kenmare Fair Day on 15 August is the big day in Kenmare. It costs more now to stage these events because of insurance and different rules and licences and regulations. If it was not for the likes of that and the horse fair in Castleisland and the World Fiddle Day in Scartaglin those places would lose their identity. Everyone knows about Puck Fair and the value and expenditure it means for the people of Kerry. All these places are under pressure to retain and stage these events. I am asking for support for those events in whatever way possible. We have to thank the local authorities which help as well as they can but they have only so much money to give and that is limited. They have been meting it out like the loaves and fishes. It is hard to please everyone. We need to consider that so that local places can retain their identities.

I feel very hurt about the fact that local characters who used to come to public houses and demonstrate their storytelling, singing, playing the fiddle and accordion impromptu are no longer able to do that because they are rurally isolated in their homes. They are trapped because they cannot come to the pub and drive home after having two or three pints. The rules and drink driving regulations treat them in the same way as the vast traffic on motorways, regional roads, national primary and secondary roads. They are being treated in the same way on minor small roads where there is hardly any traffic. These people are isolated at home and the tourists are not meeting them now as they used to in the public houses.

Deputy Catherine Murphy

I welcome this debate and I welcome the visitors in the gallery. It is highly unusual to have such a large crowd in the Visitors Gallery for such a debate. That makes a statement in its own right. We are famed the world over for our arts, culture and heritage and we never miss an opportunity to play into that fame when elected officials go abroad for a business event and so on. I am not criticising that but think it should be acknowledged.

During the recent commemorations of 1916 we dedicated a significant amount of the occasion to artistic spectacles, highlighting the successes of our artists and their connections to the major historical events of 100 years ago, and rightly so. The outpouring of awe and pride after the airing of the superb centenary celebration which showcased our theatrical and musical talent was indicative of the importance of the arts and heritage sector in our lives.

If we reflect on our history and see, for example, the cultural revival and the significant role that played in the birth of our Republic we can see that if we are to strive for a second republic that is just as meaningful we must similarly ground that in art, literature, theatre, culture and sport.

This is a turning point. We have come from a crash and are starting a recovery, but it has to be meaningful. Our culture and art bind us together. We have to place a degree of importance on that in this debate and what we do afterwards.

Those involved in the cultural revival recognised that higher principles bind us together. They demonstrated those features in the artistic endeavours of our writers, musicians, artists and many others. If we are to take a leaf out of the book of Douglas Hyde and those involved in the cultural revival, we would see the opportunities and celebrate what unites us and the shared vision for our future and that of our country. That can only happen if we accept the need to foster the arts to that degree and fund it accordingly.

A significant section of our manifesto placed importance on the arts. We also highlighted in the recent election campaign that for too long Governments have ignored the arts, an attitude that is typified by the 55% cut to the arts since 2008, which predated the last Government. We are bottom of the European league for investment in culture and the arts, and data showed that in 2012 we spent less than 0.11% of GDP on arts and culture, compared to the European average of 0.6%.

The National Campaign for the Arts estimates that for every one euro invested by the Arts Council, more than 70 cent returns directly to the Exchequer in taxes. Every 30 cent of Arts Council investment generates €2.50 in turnover, which is more than an eightfold return on investment. It makes sense to invest in the arts. We should not disregard the fact that 21,000 people work in the sector, not including the many volunteers and enthusiasts. A report I read recently highlighted that just 11% of writers can survive on the earnings from their craft. This is a country that produced people like Yeats, Joyce and O'Casey. I wonder how many more people of that calibre we can produce if we continue to under-invest in the arts. The notion that artists like existing on fresh air or produce a better class of work by virtue of the fact that they are living in poverty, which focuses the brain, is a nonsense. The arts require significant investment.

I refer to the film industry. There have been some very good productions recently, such as "Vikings" and "Penny Dreadful". The expansion of the industry has been hampered by the availability of studio space. My colleague Deputy Stephen Donnelly would welcome a conversation with the Minister about that. He has worked with a group in Wicklow.

Approximately 87% of those who visited Ireland listed arts and culture as part of the reason they came here, yet we give tax breaks such as VAT to the likes of McDonald's and Starbucks. We need to start thinking much more strategically and consider the income that could be generated and invested in the arts. We cannot just have a debate today. We have to see an outturn from this in hard cash if we are to make a difference in the future. The investment may be small, but it is worthwhile.

Deputy Catherine Martin

I commend Deputy Niamh Smyth on bringing this motion to the House. I and my Green Party colleague Deputy Eamon Ryan will be more than happy to support it. Without the necessary governmental support the arts cannot flourish, and we need them to flourish for the very sake of our heritage. We need the arts to be strong and independent. Yet Ireland is currently ranked at the bottom of the European league for Government investment in culture and the arts. It is essential that we consider and recognise in the House how intrinsic the arts are to our soul as a nation.

Tá clú agus cáil ar ealaíontóirí, filí, scríbhneoirí is ceoltóirí an náisiúin seo ar fud an domhain. Cloistear rithim an tsaoil sa cheol. Mar chine Ceilteach, tá tobar na samhlaíochta go smior inár gcnámha ó chianaibh. Ach táim buartha nach bhfuil an Stát faoi láthair airdeallach go leor ar na dushláin a bhfuil le sárú ag lucht ealaíne na linne seo ó thaobh maoiniú a chur ar fáil do na hearnálacha proifisiúnta agus áitiúla. Cé go gcaithfear geilleagar an tíre a bheathú, caithfear an cheist seo leanas a chur freisin. Cá mbeadh sochaí na hÉireann gan ionsporáid agus fealsúnacht na n-ealaín? Is tríd ár gcuid litríochta, filíochta, amhránaíochta agus cruthaitheachta a gcuirfimid ár n-oidhreacht agus ár bhféiniúlacht in iúl ní hamháin don domhan ach dúinn féin mar Éireannaigh. Is trí phroiséas na cruthaitheachta a nochtar macasamhail, coinsias agus cuisle chine.

Is maith an scáthán súl ealaíontóra ar anam na ndaoine. Soláthraíonn an dánlann, an amharclann agus an iarsmalann tearmann dúinn ó thrioblóidí an tsaoil ionas gur féidir linn teacht chugainn féin agus tuiscint a bheith againn ar ár mothúcháin daonna agus ar ár n-áit sa domhan. Mar shochaí, caithfimid a bheith dílis dár dtraidisiún cruthaitheachta agus tairseach na samhlaíochta a thrasnú i dteannta le chéile. Tá fíorú físe na todhchaí á lorg againn. Is údar imní é nach n-aithníonn an Rialtas nua seo luach saothar na n-ealaíon gan trácht ar shaibhreas oidhreacht na nGael mar chroílar an náisiúin seo. Ó thaobh an gheilleagair, ní mór dúinn cuimhneamh go dtagann na mílte turasóirí go hÉireann ar thóir na n-ealaíon. Is scannalach an rud é sa lá atá inniu ann nach gceapann an Rialtas gur fiú Roinn le stádas neamhspleách a bheith ag an earnáil oidhreachta agus ealaíne. Is náire atá ann don Rialtas.

Deputy Micheál Martin

I compliment Deputy Niamh Smyth on this very timely motion. I speak as a person who had my first interaction with the arts as a politician in the mid-1980s when I was a member of Cork Corporation. I served as chairperson of the arts committee at that time. I had wonderful interactions with the arts community and young artists in the city, including Triskel Arts Centre, Graffiti Theatre Company, the Opera House, the Everyman Theatre, the National Sculpture Factory and many more. What struck me was the creativity of the arts community and the degree to which it brought a lot to my world as a young politician at that time. The grants we allocated to various organisations went a long way. Very small amounts of money acted as seed capital and produced extraordinary results, and leveraged far more on top of the amounts allocated by the local authority. The city council in Cork was and still is a very progressive body and was pioneering in terms of the advancement of the arts in the city. It understood the relationship and importance for the city of the promotion of the arts. It is in that context that the motion was tabled by Deputy Smyth. There is a need for the political world to address the imperative for the arts to come back to the centrality of political decision-making and the kind of society we want.

I want to start by addressing the changed status of the arts portfolio at Cabinet. We all know the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is not responsible for this. The Taoiseach decides on the division of responsibility. Under the last two Governments, the Department was called, respectively, the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. In both cases the arts came first. It has now it has been relegated to third place, after regional development and rural affairs, subjects which have no obvious connection to the arts except in the most general sense. While it is flattering that the Minister has been given additional responsibilities, it remains to be seen how much clout they will carry. What sort of budgets will be involved? Are the rules more in the nature of co-ordination, or designed to convey that Fine Gael in government cares about rural Ireland? The structure of the Department is very unclear.

Even if they get more money, is there any necessary read-across for the arts? Will the arts be given an active role in regional development?

The perception in the arts community is that the arts, never high on the Government's list of priorities, has slipped further back. I acknowledge that the arts did suffer some cutbacks under Fianna Fáil after the crash in 2008, but the cuts came after many years of steady increases in resources. I also point out that the then Minister, Martin Cullen, was to the forefront in challenging the 2009 McCarthy report, which suggested that the arts were not really a priority at a time of economic difficulty, implying that they could and should be cut back disproportionately. I further make the point that a serious backlog of investment is needed in the national cultural institutions and, while a start is being made, much more needs to be done.

I am happy to acknowledge and praise the efforts and resources put into the 1916 commemoration, but now some of the resources that will be freed up when the major investment projects are finished need to be put into supporting and extending sustainable arts infrastructure across the regions. We must also remember that many of those who took part in the Easter Rising were important cultural figures with an engagement, interest and involvement in the arts, which, unfortunately, has only intermittently characterised Government interest in an independent Ireland. The leaders of 1916 loved, respected and valued the arts. They got the arts. Sadly, there is a real and deeply held belief that the Government does not get the arts.

Recently an article was published in the name of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, in The Sunday Times, which attempted to defend what the Government has done and offer reassurance for the future. Yet I suspect many, indeed most, who read it were unconvinced and many others were angered and bemused. The Minister wrote that "a rumbling of discontent within the arts community has steadily developed into a roar" and spoke about how the campaign for the arts had managed to "garner the support, of the Oscar-nominate[d] director Lenny Abrahamson". The tone was dismissive to say the least, but the Minister then had the gall to write, "In the wake of the centenary events we have an unprecedented opportunity to seize upon the renewed passion, connection and pride in our culture and our heritage". First, I do not accept that this was a connection in need of renewal, but even if one accepts the premise, it is remarkable that the Government should seize the opportunity by downgrading the arts. The Minister also said there was "an onus not just on the government to show its commitment to our culture, but also on the sector itself to look outwards rather than within". That is frankly ludicrous. The fact is that our artists have always looked outward - it is the Government that has turned inward. I recall the very first Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh, at which several major ex-pat chief executive officers from all over the world who had made it to the highest levels of the corporate world came back and told everyone at the gathering - policy makers and decision makers - that Ireland's calling card externally was the arts, literature, and creativity.

In the newspaper article, the Minister also said "the arts community has a choice: to condemn this government, based upon an unfounded belief that it has no regard for the arts, or to work constructively together and bring forward ideas in the best interests of the sector and the wider community". The arts sector was already doing that, and has always been committed to doing that; it is the Government that is holding the sector back. She also wrote:

We are renowned around the world for our incredible cultural legacy, but it is time we focused more on the positive impact of the arts at home. Why not promote our wealth of contemporary culture as an asset when we are seeking to attract some of the world's best companies to invest here?

That has already happened, but the downgrading of the portfolio means that now we will have less credibility in doing so and people will be less convinced. In an ideal world the arts are not really about attracting companies or anything like that; they have their own intrinsic value and purpose. None the less, I deplore the way the arts sector has been treated. The Minister might say we are wrong in our assertions, but that is the perception across the board within the arts community and that is the view of those in the field. Why would the arts community be convinced when we consider the shambles of how, under the previous Government, Limerick was selected but then not supported as City of Culture, leaving cultural institutions and arts organisations there to pick through the political debris? We also saw the gross misuse of the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA, as the life raft of choice to ferry a Fine Gael candidate into a Seanad seat. That disregard for the fundamental principle of the independence of arts organisations and the simultaneous envy, fear or disregard for independent scholars and artists is fully continued in the way critically important boards are currently filled. Of 12 people appointed by the Minister last Friday to fill a board of 16 members to take change of the National Museum, only six had skills directly relevant to the mission of the museum. Others, all of whom are highly qualified people in their sphere who should be thanked for their willingness to serve, might in fewer numbers form a valuable part of the overall skills matrix on the board. What is striking is not the good people concerned, but the continuing trend of board appointments in arts, heritage and culture, where specialists and practitioners are conspicuously under-represented. The lack of esteem and the condescending belief that artists and scholars who run remarkable organisations on a shoestring need to be minded or marketed by professionals is appalling. Artists and scholars are true professionals. They are the experts. They give their whole life to their work. For them, that work is their life. They demand respect, an end to condescension and to belittling disregard, and on their behalf I repeat that demand in Dáil Eireann today.

Deputy Robert Troy

Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Tom Neville and the Ministers of State, Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy and Deputy Helen McEntee, will share ten minutes between them. That is two and a half minutes each. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

I very much welcome the debate both as a Member of this House and as a long-time supporter of and participant in the arts. I am also pleased the motion is not being opposed.

As a Government we are cognisant of the value of the arts, and, as our programme for partnership Government notes, we promise to "work to progressively increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve". The previous budget saw a 12% increase in funding for the then Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

We have a tendency to look for value for money in public spending. There is nothing wrong with that. For every €1 the Arts Council invests, more than 70 cent returns directly to the Exchequer in taxes, and when the Arts Council invests the remaining 30 cent it translates to a turnover of €2.50, which is more than an eight-fold return. However, that is only one side of the equation. The other is the intrinsic and unquantifiable value of the arts. While we might argue about the recent change of designation for the Department, what it means to those involved in the arts is that artists feel they are not being valued as they should be. That is an understandable concern. I know that the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, is fully committed to the promotion of the arts. She has reiterated that point this evening. The problem is the message. The arts are all about symbology. The change in designation was a message that was heard loud and clear by the arts community. If the ideal of the arts in this country is Mozart, then I think we introduced Salieri by mistake. As a person from Galway, a county that is putting forward its bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2020, and given that Galway city is synonymous with events such as the Galway Arts Festival, the Macnas parade and the Cúirt festival, I would find it impossible to explain the importance of the arts to the very fabric of Galway and the west, and to the entire island of Ireland.

I agree that the arts needs more money, support and programmes to be put in place, but most important of all it needs to be valued. The Government will do all it can to increase funding to the arts. Likewise, I will do everything I can to ensure we deliver on that commitment.

Deputy Tom Neville

I welcome today's debate. I am a music technology graduate and I completed a master's degree and graduated in September 2008. We all know what happened at that time. The outlook was bleak for anyone who came into the artistic field at the time, given the economic challenges.

Obviously, I pursued careers in different circles and did not think I would be standing here today speaking on the subject. However, I welcome the thrust of the motion to the effect that funding will be increased as the economy grows and develops and as it now is in a recovery, this is to be welcomed.

Another personal facet is that I take part in short films and I am a short film actor. I have worked on many projects in Limerick and note that festivals there, such as the Richard Harris International Film Festival and the Limerick Film Festival, are in their infancy. They have been held over the past three or four years. They are now growing and should be supported. Such festivals should also be supported because of the economic development they generate. To share a story, I remember how, when I travelled to Australia in the 1990s in the pre-Internet era, the likes of U2 or the Cranberries were the medium that could market this country. Every time one spoke to somebody, particularly in that age group and in popular culture, the first thing they would mention was U2 or for Limerick in particular, the Cranberries. That could be heard in every place to which I went. However, the Irish do it better than anybody else when it comes to scenes or generating music movements. Consider what was done with Riverdance 20 years ago, where they mixed popular culture with traditional culture and Riverdance was born to modernise and change the face of Irish dancing. It is a scene that continues to stand the test of time, whereas other scenes in popular culture have come and gone. Consequently, I reiterate the Irish do it better than anybody else. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton should note I will be slightly tribal by stating Limerick obviously also has a bid in for 2020. It has my full support, having worked on it as a county councillor and now as a Deputy. I again welcome the Government's move regarding the €70 million tax break for films and note Troy Studios is coming to Limerick, whereby economic adversity was turned into an artistic opportunity that now has Limerick at the forefront of film-making. Hopefully, some major projects will be welcomed into the area.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy)

I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth and wish her the best of luck in her role. I thank her for bringing this important motion before Members this evening. I also acknowledge all the creative people among us and it is great to see the Gallery so full. I am approaching this issue from the perspective of somebody who is involved in a volunteer capacity in community theatre. A discordant note is creeping in regarding the Minister's capabilities, which I find a little disturbing to say the least. This is the same Minister who, since taking up office, has fought the good battle for the arts at the Cabinet table. Members should remember the horrendous recession we have come through. Moreover, she has won every battle she has fought by finding within her the characteristics she needs at the Cabinet table to fight for the arts. I reassure Members and those present in the Gallery that they have a champion for the arts here. She has set her mind to finding money to increase the budget for the arts and it has increased since she took office in 2014. The Government is well aware there is much more to be done but in the partnership for Government agreement, a commitment has been given that there will be increased investment in the arts during the coming years. The Minister herself initiated the capital funding programme that will be opened up this year and which I welcome as a person involved in community arts. I am involved in a theatre and arts centre myself in Birr and I note additional funding will be put in place for such arts venues and regional cultural centres nationwide, which will be able to get some capital funding.

The title of the Department has been bandied about. I will read into the record the actual title, namely, "the Department of Arts, Heritage and Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Development". That is it; there is no downgrading of the arts and I am satisfied this will not be the case. The clock is against me but as a final point, the arts always has been in a Ministry with other Departments and Deputy Catherine Martin referred to this. When it was part of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, was sport prioritised over the arts because it was in there too? Was tourism prioritised? No, it was not. The relevant Minister fought the battle for the arts, for sport and for tourism in the same way as this Minister will fight the battle for the arts. I have every confidence that she will do it and reassure everybody in this regard. I also ask people to please depersonalise this issue and to focus and work together on what is important to us culturally. The arts are what we are and Members must work together to ensure they can deliver them for all the people from the cradle to the grave.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Helen McEntee)

I welcome the opportunity to conclude the debate and wish Deputy Niamh Smyth well in her new role. As has my colleague, I also welcome the visitors in the Gallery. When one thinks of the arts, one thinks of music, song, dance and laughter but it is a serious issue. The arts are a part of our showcase to the world and are part of our culture, who we are and from where we came. It is a part of our legacy to our children and grandchildren and to our history. Many Deputies have spoken of their commitment to the arts, either professionally or in their spare time, and the Minister has taken note of the comments and the ideas as food for thought.

The recent economic crisis, which thankfully we now are putting behind us, was fought and fought hard. It was a fight to keep the country on track and to keep it solvent in order that as it recovered, the Government would be able to focus on the really important things that society demanded, not just the economy, be it in health, education, housing or indeed the arts. A country's soul, as well as its pockets, must be looked after. No one would try to argue the arts were immune from the financial crisis, as all sectors were touched. However, I believe the previous Government did its best to try to insulate the sector as much as it could. It recognised the key role of the arts in their own right and as an important economic, educational and tourism driver for Ireland. In common with all Members in this Chamber, I want the new partnership Government to provide for the arts to an even greater extent than was the case in previous years. While I note there has been much talk about cuts to funding, one need only consider the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which expects its budget for the next year to be cut by almost 6%.

The narrative here is different, as funding has been increased for the past two years and the Minister has given a commitment to continue that as the economy continues to recover. The Minister is experienced and while she is in a much larger Department that includes the arts, she is the senior Minister and has taken a special interest in the arts and the potential for them to be a real driver in regional development and rural renewal. As part of this newly enlarged Department, this is something with which everyone must engage and about which they must think in a positive light. Much of the debate has focused on Arts Council funding and departmental funding but it is about a lot more than that and cannot just be about the elite; it must be about everybody. I welcome the Minister's comments in the House earlier on exploring the establishment of a cultural unit within local authorities. In my native County Meath, a fantastic number of people work within the arts, often for little financial reward, and they must be at the forefront of any new establishment and there must be funding to support them.

To conclude, in my new role as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, I look forward to engaging with service users and older persons networks about the therapeutic benefits of the arts, of which there are many. Much good work is going on in this area already and during my time in this role, I look forward to working with these groups and to developing opportunities for mental health service users and older people to express themselves while making a contribution to society.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

As 12 minutes remain and as two Deputies have indicated they wish to make brief points, with the agreement of the House they may have one minute each to speak before I ask Deputy Niamh Smyth to wrap up. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe

I am delighted to have been afforded an opportunity to speak briefly on this important business and I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for bringing this motion before the House. First, I acknowledge the many constituents who have contacted me and who are quite disillusioned by the effective dilution of the arts as a Cabinet portfolio, many of whom have devoted themselves throughout their lives to promoting the arts both locally and nationally. The dilution of the arts portfolio is a cheap two-fingered salute to those who have devoted so much time and effort to the arts industry. This is not a personal criticism but that said, I compliment the Minister on her role in overseeing the 1916 commemorations nationwide. For a country that once was to the forefront as the leader in the promotion of both the arts and culture internationally, the negative effects from paying insufficient attention and due care to this area can now be seen. However, I am delighted that my party has taken the initiative to improve the situation. I believe the proposals before Members get the balance just about right. The proposal protects the independence of the arts community, while allowing for and enabling full community engagement and benefit from State arts funding.

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan

Tá áthas orm an deis a bheith agam labhairt ar na cursaí seo. Táim an-bhuíoch agus gabhaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta Smyth as ucht an díospóireacht seo a chuir romhainn agus an deis cainte a thabhairt dúinn. Táim cinnte go gcabhróidh an rún seo agus an díospóireacht a bhaineann leis le todhchaí na healaíne sa tír seo. Ní féidir a shéanadh go bhfuil stair na teanga, na ealaíona cruthaitheacha, an cultúr agus an dúchas mar aon aonad amháin nuair atá cursaí ealaíne á phlé. Caithfear a thusicint go bhfuil sé mar cheann de na hábhair is mó a thugann aitheantas dúinn timpeall na cruinne.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

Thank you, Deputy.

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan

I hope we can keep that funding going. While there is funding available, as I understand it, to support existing venues, there should also be a contingency fund for exceptional circumstances such as the Briery Gap cultural centre in Macroom, with which I am sure the Minister is familiar.

Deputy Heather Humphreys

I was at it.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

Thank you, Deputy. I have been lenient with you.

Deputy Aindrias Moynihan

I hope that such projects will be able to keep their programmes in place.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

Before I call on Deputy Niamh Smyth for her final ten minutes' contribution, I, too, wish to extend my warm welcome to the visitors in the Gallery this evening.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

I thank the Minister for her news about cultural units within our local authorities. That comes as very welcome news. Culture, as we know, covers such a multitude of things and is probably the proper term when we are thinking about the arts. I would like the Minister to consider extending that. As she said herself, she saw the work on the ground of the local arts and education partnership. I compliment the Minister on the support she gave to the Cavan-Monaghan pilot project. I ask her to also consider rolling out those local arts and education partnerships nationally. We only have 16 education and training boards in the country and it would go a long way in terms of the engagement of the Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of Education and Skills and the Arts Council. There is much to be gained from that because it has great value. I thank the Minister.

I thank all those in the Gallery and all the artists and representatives of the creative industry who have sat through this two and a half hour debate. I hope they feel it has been a fruitful debate. I thank the Members who contributed to the debate today and all who came to watch. Fianna Fáil did not put this motion before the Dáil on our own behalf or for any political purpose. It is for a broader, deeper issue at stake, namely, our country's art and culture. Support for, understanding of and empathy with the arts should be intrinsic. It should be built into a republic. The arts, and I speak of the broadest expression of our culture including our heritage and popular culture, should be accessible and available to all our people.

The arts are not a luxury, rather they are a necessity. People who have no voice in the public conversation look to artists to express their thoughts. Art is another sense, another language and another way of thinking. Without it, there is no way to live a full life. No wedding, funeral, or other important point in life can be passed or punctuated without the conscious setting of art. So it is with the State, which time and time again looks to the artists to mark its great days, and so it should be.

This Republic was founded out of events led by patriotic people for whom culture and the practice of the arts was central to themselves and to the movement they led. One hundred years later, artists were again called upon to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising. Once again, artists did Ireland proud. What could have had the texture of blandness or a sheen of false pomp was invested with the grit of truth by artists who, in every art form, are truth seekers. That is what artists are in society. They seek new insights to say what cannot be articulated. They seek to articulate what cannot be said.

Today in Dáil Éireann, many Deputies across the Chamber have conveyed what is being said by artists outside the Chamber and across the country. The increasingly intense public conversation among artists, their presence here today in such numbers, and the articulation by so many artists, arts organisations and the National Campaign for the Arts on their behalf of a profound sense of alienation from the State is striking. In a Republic that is alienated, that is an indictment. Years of cuts took their toll on a sector that at the height of State spending was only beginning to see levels of investment that had long been the norm across western Europe and elsewhere. What I find striking when talking with artists is their profound disillusionment with the disengagement of the Government from culture, from the arts, from any objective or outcome that is not a key performance indicator and from any conversation that is not a photo call. In the Government of their country, the country that beckons and calls them as required, there is no empathy, no feeling and no champion for the arts.

In this centenary year, during the anniversary and jubilee, as of old, the country's artists were called to its side but even before the curtain came down, the Government stepped in to switch off the lights.

Deputy Heather Humphreys

The Deputy is wrong there.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

Yet artists feel as if the show had served its purpose because it is the only show. There is no deeper feeling, no underlying purpose, no sense that art - unlike elocution lessons or jewellery - is not an accessory of status and is emphatically not an accessory of power. Art is a republic. The Republic proclaimed in 1916 is an authentic expression of people. It is a voice that cannot be scripted by government. It is an energy that cannot be contained, but it is the controlling urge to script and the political need to contain which has effectively shunted Irish artists off the political stage. This is the most diverse Dáil in the history of the State but, shamefully, in the organisation of this Government, we have had the least consideration for the arts for a generation.

It is the truth that artists articulate themselves with anger, certainly, but also with determination. It is that determination that has brought so many artists and arts organisations to speak with Deputies from around the country over the recent weeks. It is that determination which brings us here today. Across the great majority of the House, outside of Government, there is solidarity with artists. There is a political understanding that the role of the Government in relation to the arts should be supported to champion but not to control. The agenda of control is insidious and, pointedly, it is still on the table.

One of the worst attacks on the integrity of the role of artists and of the role of culture generally was the insistence of the last Government to bring the governance of several of the national cultural institutions under the direct control of the Department. The disrespect and the contempt of that agenda continued seamlessly through the disregard shown for the arts in the formation of this Government. This diminution of the arts and of any wider sense of what our culture has given our people is sadly underlined by the entire abolition of heritage from any role in the mission title of the responsible Minister.

Deputy Heather Humphreys

Heritage is in it.

Deputy Eoghan Murphy

That is factually incorrect.

Deputy Heather Humphreys

It is incorrect.

Deputy Niamh Smyth

The mark of respect - the actual doing, not just the saying - that I propose on behalf of Fianna Fáil which I pledge to implement is that the cultural policy of the State will not be handed down from above. It will not arrive from a Government Department as a fait accompli. It will be an outcome of a democratic conversation here in the Dáil, the people's assembly.

I say to the arts organisations listening here in the Gallery and watching online around the country, that Fianna Fáil, with others across the House, will ensure that their voices are heard. Those who are expert and who have made it their lives' vocation to be artists will lead in forming Ireland's arts policy, Culture 2025.

The proposal my party will make to our colleagues on the Oireachtas committee is that they as individual artists, as companies and as resource organisations, including Dance Ireland, Theatre Forum and Visual Artists Ireland as well as the National Campaign for the Arts, will be invited and will be heard. We will turn to the Arts Council, whose role includes that of giving advice. It is time we sought advice. It is time we listened to advice. It is a pity it was not done sooner, but it will be done now. That is our promise and our pledge today.

In his speech in the Kennedy Centre on 17 May last, at a gala celebration of the best of Irish arts, the Taoiseach quoted President John F. Kennedy who said, one month before he died: "I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the artist". I did not serve with Jack Kennedy; I did not know him. Alas, he was not a friend of mine. However, Deputy Enda Kenny is no Jack Kennedy. That night's event in the Kennedy Centre was the Taoiseach's first public engagement with our arts and culture since his re-election to office on 6 May. It was his first outing abroad since the centenary of the Rising and the reduction of the political space for culture at the Cabinet table. It was an unwitting showcase of the unimportance of the artist for the Fine Gael Government. The treatment of artists as performers who provide a backdrop but have no further function could not have been more insensitively or cruelly juxtaposed with the glamour of the occasion in Washington.

Today, we are here to begin to right that wrong. We are here to put in place arrangements whereby artists will be the leaders of our cultural policy. The Thirty-second Dáil can, and I believe it will, ensure that artists are reinstated as the leaders of our cultural policy.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

Is the amendment being pressed?

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

Yes.

Amendment put.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Robert Troy)

In accordance with Standing Order 70(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Thursday, 23 June 2016.