Mr. John O'Kane:

We have set out our position in the opening statement and, with the committee's agreement, I propose to highlight three aspects. In order to provide a degree of context, our note describes the current relationship between RTE, in particular the RTE orchestras, quartet and choirs, and the NCH. The relationship between RTE and the NCH is encapsulated in a formal, legal agreement which in effect gives us a licence for our activities within the NCH. The fact that we have such an agreement reflects the significance of the relationship and the central position the work of each organisation represents vis-à-visthe other. There is a high degree of mutual reliance between the RTE orchestras and the NCH. The significance of that can be understood easily enough if we look at very simple measures in regard to volume and expenditure. The sheer level of activity promoted in the NCH by the RTE orchestras and of course subsequently broadcast nationally to a national audience from the NCH is of great importance. The scale of RTE's financial contribution to the NCH's income is also significant. By virtue of both the level of activity and the scale of expenditure, it is a unique relationship that demonstrates mutual reliance.
Building upon that point about the close alignment of the work of the two organisations, we note that there are common challenges which everybody in the arts and certainly everybody in the music business faces: the question of how to promote music in the contemporary environment. The marketplace for music and the arts, entertainment and culture has become increasingly sophisticated and complex and thus has become highly competitive. The common challenge is to attract and engage the public. It is important to see the mutual interest in facing into those challenges and we think that in so doing one can see that there are opportunities. They lie, for example, in exploitation of the full implications of the arrival of the digital age. This is not yet fully described or understood but it affords a great opportunity to reach many more people and to engage with the public in a different way than was heretofore possible. We have already made some initial attempts in that regard but believe there is a lot more scope. The second area that contains a good deal more scope is the potential to develop the NCH complex. If the NCH were to develop the amazing premises that it has, it would acquire a good deal more operational flexibility and that in turn would have a direct impact upon its capacity and the capacity of RTE to serve the public more effectively and with a greater impact in terms of the public benefit.
We have offered a critique of the Bill from RTE's perspective, which stems from operational aspects of the relationship between RTE and the NCH. We have done this as an appendix to our statement, which provides the specific commentary. We would prefer if the legislation were to ensure that RTE's position was more explicitly secured for the longer term. We have made a number of specific suggestions in that regard. The first is that the discretion which the board of the NCH can exercise in regard to the RTE orchestras should be replaced with an obligation to sustain the relationship. We suggest that RTE's position in the Bill would be reinforced by naming all of the RTE performing groups in the Bill rather than just one of them, as is currently the case. It would be better if the NCH were required to reach agreement with RTE on financial and other matters, rather than leaving the NCH as the sole determinant on those conditions. In the event that an agreement on those conditions were not to be reached, it would be helpful if there were provision for independent arbitration.