Dr. Orla McDonagh:

The word ecosystem is very important here. There is a question of whether the Deputy's question relates to Department of Education and Skills or Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The solution to this long-standing challenge will be found at the intersection of the two Departments.

We are all reaching children at different pockets. There are pockets of musical excellence throughout this country. There are organisations, such as St. Agnes's Musical Society, Ballymun Music Programme, and Sing Out With Strings, which have been operating a long time. The Ballymun Music Programme has been operating for 21 years, delivering instrumental tuition to 13 schools in Ballymun. Music Generation is spreading to more areas of the country. The disconnect that I see, however, and I am sure others will agree, is that it does not sync with our national education system. It is still the case that we cannot guarantee that every Irish child will be musically literate or will have access. That is a huge issue for our citizens. It cannot only be available to those who are lucky enough to live close to it or can afford the instruments. Many primary schools receive Government grants for sports equipment, for instance, but they do not necessarily receive Government grants for musical instruments to the same level. Dublin City Council has been great in the case of Ballymun and has given us considerable money to help on this, but it is not throughout the country. Overall, that is our challenge.