Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the three witnesses. I thank them for the presentations and the discussion we are having on the National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. I greatly value both. It is, perhaps, often forgotten that the RTÉ Concert Orchestra has a presence beyond Donnybrook and the National Concert Hall. I was delighted last year to welcome the RTÉ Concert Orchestra to my own home town of Navan. As part of its programme, the orchestra played a gala concert to mark the tenth anniversary of Solstice, our own arts centre in Navan. A native son of Navan, Mr. Brian Byrne, was conducting that night. It was greatly valued by our patrons and indeed by the people of our county.

Days and weeks of practice, however, were required for people to enjoy those two hours of entertainment and pleasure on that Friday night. There is the rub in respect of funding in this budget week and the discussions we are having to sustain a valued cultural contribution to our country. I am familiar with the issues Mr. Ó Dubhghaill has raised about income. I looked at the report and the €100 million drop in total revenue over the past ten years is something I, and the Committee of Public Accounts, have pressed when we have discussed this. I refer to the need for an honest appraisal by all bodies and for them to state they will stop dodging the bullet and actually deal with the funding issue for our national broadcaster and all of the other activities that entails. If we do not do that, as a result of the conversations here today, there is an overhanging threat, implicit in the background, to the future of our concert orchestra.

The challenges other platforms are posing to commercial income, as Mr. Horsman has said, because of where commercial partners are now going as opposed to the traditional areas, has to be taken into consideration when funding is being decided for RTÉ and all that it provides. On the review itself, as Mr. Ó Dubhghaill said, I welcome how it has brought a spotlight onto these issues. It has, perhaps, also shown that there is greater public awareness than people anticipated. The statistics produced are interesting in respect of those 35% who have attended an RTÉ Concert Orchestra performance, and some people attended more than once.

That is a very encouraging statistic. The listenership for orchestras on Lyric FM is at 16% every month. There are strong percentages there for what is a very niche market. It shows a greater public awareness than perhaps many people thought. It is interesting to have that debate and it shows the value of having the review because it underscores the commitment to keeping funding.

Assuming we can get past this impasse and services are retained, how can we make sure we do not come back to this again? How do we ensure that it grows and that there is not this threat of a part-time orchestra and so forth? Mr. Ó Dubhghaill talked about the flexibility that would be required from orchestra members. He might elaborate on that somewhat. He spoke about synergy and the work of the National Symphony Orchestra coming within the remit of the National Concert Hall. How has all that panned out and how is it coming together? What are some of the challenges the witnesses are facing? I welcome them, thank them for the work that has been done and assure them that I will be advocating for the funding that is necessary to make sure we protect and grow a valued part of our culture.