Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The work being done by Ms Allen is fascinating and I commend her on the publicity it is getting. I have passed through the airport a couple of times recently and have seen the picture montages there that give a sense of what is going on in Irish Design 2015. I would not be as au fait with design as others. We know a little about fashion designers, such as John Rocha, Louise Kennedy, Orla Kiely and Lainey Keogh and from the Connemara perspective, Cniotáil Inis Meáin, seems to have done very well on the international market. Philip Treacy is another Galway designer. However, in other areas of design mentioned, such as architecture, I am not as au faitwith designers. How do we compare internationally in those other areas? We are not in the same league as Milan, but would we be in the premier league or are we somewhere down in the third or fourth division internationally? What do we need to do to bring ourselves up? I am not necessarily concerned that individual designers be there, but that there should be awareness of their work. How can we promote them more?

I am also conscious that many of our designers are members of the diaspora. Do we have a brain-drain scenario in this regard? If a person wants to make it as a designer, must he or she go abroad, to London, New York, Paris or wherever? What can we do to counteract that and how can technology help us in regard to better connectivity? Where are the gaps at third level when it comes to training and education for this area? Previous speakers suggested we lack policy in the creative industry area.

From a policy perspective, what gaps do the witnesses see that we as legislators need to examine?

Ó thaobh TG4 de agus níl aon dabht faoi, táim anseo le ceithre bliana agus níor chuala mé aon duine ag cáineadh TG4 ó tháinig mé anseo. Chuala mé neart cáineadh faoi na craoltóirí eile ach níor chuala mé droch-fhocal faoi TG4. Is moladh an-mhór é sin faoi pé atá i TG4 agus na dreamanna atá ag obair ar na cláracha ar fad. Tá an-tábhacht leis an tionscadal seo. Níl fios agam an dtuigeann daoine sa tír seo cé chomh tábhachtach is atá sé go bhfuil na comhlachtaí fréamhaithe sna ceantair. Déantar cáineadh sna Gaeltachtaí, ar ndóigh, ó am go chéile, nach mbíonn na comhlachtaí ar fad ag feidhmiú trí mheán na Gaeilge. Tá na cláracha a chraoltar trí mhéan na Gaeilge ach tá go leor Béarlóirí ag obair taobh thiar de na scenes, mar a dearfá. An féidir linn aon rud eile a dhéanamh le feabhas a chur ar sin?

Pointe mór eile ná an titim nó an meath atá ag teacht ar an nGaeilge sa Ghaeltacht. An mbeimid ag rith amach as daoine le Gaeilge gur féidir leo oibriú ar na cláracha mar láithreoirí, scríobhneoirí agus mar sin de? Cén ról a fheiceann na finnéithe do TG4 ó thaobh an Straitéis 20 Bliain agus ó thaobh an Ghaeilge sa phobal.

Sílim gur chóir aitheantas a tabhairt don núalaíocht a bhaineann le comhlachtaí ar nós EO teilifís, Nemeton TV sa Rinn, Irish TV i gContae Mhaigh Eo agus Telegael a bhfuil ardán idirnáisiúnta bainte amach aige ó thaobh chúrsaí anamúlachta agus mar sin de. Tá teicneolaíocht ag athrú an t-am ar fad. Táimíd ag breathnú ar mhúnlaí nua ar nós Netflix, Amazon TV agus mar sin de ag teacht chun cinn. Cá bhfuil todhchaí TG4? B'fhéidir go mbeidh deireadh leis an stáisiún teilifíse mar stáisiún teilifíse. Cén chaoi a ndéanfaidh TG4 athrú le go mbeidh sé fós ag craoladh do phobal na Gaeilge ar fud an domhain? Gan dabht tá deiseanna ag baint leis ach tá dúshlán ag baint leis chomh maith céanna.