Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also have some questions for Ms Allen. Does she think career guidance is reaching young people and revealing to them the potential of design as a career path?

Does she believe the arts offices should have a greater role in supporting any young people who come up with designs and linking them to the enterprise offices? I recently had an interesting engagement with a young milliner whose house is overflowing. What organisations can creative people approach about identifying spaces particularly in rural areas? Is there a role for the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland in this regard? For example, Shannon Development may have some available property. I mention that because I am familiar with that area. In other areas there may be spaces that could be identified similar to the Fumbally Exchange Ms Allen referred to but that it would be more of a rural area.

Offaly County Council and the county enterprise board acquired a space, called the innovation hub, which includes a number of young technology companies which are coming up with all sorts of ideas for apps etc. Perhaps that could be replicated elsewhere.

Each county has people with particular skills and crafts. I will focus on one that I know well and I love its name, Offaly Crafty. It does pop-up shops. It is amazing to see what is going on in one's own county that one did not know about. Is there not potential throughout the country to have permanent spaces where craft spaces can exhibit? I do not know if each county can sustain that. For example, many national craftspeople exhibit in the Core Crafted Design in Ballinahown. Could each county sustain something like that or should it be done regionally? We need something permanently accessible. Given the increase in the number of tourists who seek out something that is distinctively Irish, there might be potential in that regard.

Ms Allen spoke about going to Milan. Hazel Greene, the Offaly-based silk scarf designer, won the accessory designer of the year in a competition in Galway which is wonderful. I understand that she has received commissions for some of her work. It is great to see all of that success. Many people are surprised about what is happening with the creative economy. Are we taking it somewhat for granted because we are so good at it? Do we really appreciate it enough? Do our national broadcaster and the other broadcasters give it sufficient focus? Does it have to be part of a specialist programme or, if there is a great success in an international competition, should that not feature as part of the mainstream news to allow people to appreciate what we have as a nation?