Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Beidh mé gairid go leor. Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil le chuile dhuine a bhí páirteach san athchomharc seo. Is athchomharc tabhachtach é, ag tabhairt san áireamh go bhfuil thart ar €60 milliún á chaitheamh ag an gComhairle Ealaíon in aghaidh na bliana.

One could not but be impressed by the way this review was done. It is important that it has been done. It is even more important against a background in which we are campaigning continuously for greater expenditure on the arts and on the national cultural institutions at a time when there continues to be major restraint and pressure on the public finances. However, we conduct those campaigns in the context of an understanding of the importance of the arts to society and, indeed, the economic benefits that flow from having a vibrant, active and successful arts community.

One of the first questions that arises from this analysis is about data, the collection of data and the evaluation of the success of the various initiatives. Perhaps Mr. Ó Coigligh would expand a little on what is contained in the paper on the area of data collection. There are areas of the arts that are intrinsically somewhat nebulous and while they are terribly valuable, how does one collect data on or quantify in a real way the type of benefits that flow, as distinct from perhaps looking at what the pharmaceutical or farming sectors do and so forth? I wish to hear more about that.

Mr. Ó Coigligh also says that substantial work was done in the area of administrative costs. He mentioned a figure of 16%. How does that compare with administrative costs savings in other sectors? Does it compare favourably or otherwise?

Another matter mentioned in the report is the issue of transparency and the type of relationships that exist between the Arts Council and other bodies. The report mentions the need to build more sustainable relationships. What bodies are being referred to in that regard? Reference was also made to the relationship between the Arts Council and local authorities. Local authorities fulfil a vital role in bringing the arts to the people, particularly in rural areas. In so far as they play that role, they also facilitate the numbers of audiences, participants and people engaged in the arts in general to be grown, and grown exponentially if everything works effectively. However, there can be a conflict between what the Arts Council and the local authorities wish to do. One often finds a situation in which the local authority will argue that the funding should come from the Arts Council, while the Arts Council will argue conversely that the local authority should provide more. How can that be dealt with?

My final question is about introducing multi-annual service level agreements. What are the types of groups, bodies or agencies with which the witness would envisage such agreements being put in place and how does he envisage them working? Finally, with regard to the cnuas, can the witness give us an indication of the overall annual value of the payments included there?