Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms Pratschke and wish her well in the new role. My first question concerns the Arts Council and the role it will play in encouraging young people and children to experience the arts. This relates to the point made by previous speakers about the arts reaching out into the local community and being accessible to everyone. The education system is key to this idea, as is the idea of tapping into our young people. I refer to the arts education charter launched last year. What are the views of Ms Pratschke on how the Arts Council will work towards that goal?

As director of the cultural centre in Paris last year, Ms Pratschke organised a reading by Seamus Heaney, which was quite poignant as he passed away a number of months afterwards. What are the views of Ms Pratschke and the Arts Council on developing our literary talent and up-and-coming writers in Ireland? What is the role of the Arts Council in supporting writers?