Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. The timing is pertinent. It has been a very difficult number of years across so many parts of the State. To hear the Minister saying yesterday that the State has balanced its books should mean that we can be much more optimistic about how we support cultural and other very important parts of our State and how they function. Now is the time. We should all acknowledge that there seems not to be real disagreement here about the ambition of the petition, what RTÉ is saying or what we are hearing from Government.

Mr. Coveney touched on something just now. Are there people who are not happy with the proposal for the symphony orchestra to move from RTÉ and into the National Concert Hall? Where specifically are those challenges? The phrase "full-time" was used although it is not in the text of the statement. I want to ask about the broader provision of orchestral music in the State. In Cork, for example, we have the Cork Symphony Orchestra and the youth orchestra. The witnesses stated that Ireland has the worst model. Could they give an example of best practice of the progression, from young people starting to learn through to the schools of music - Mr. Ó Dubhghaill mentioned his daughter's school - to the institutions, the voluntary orchestras and ultimately - I do not want necessarily to say it is tiered but the witnesses know what I mean. Are there other models of a better progression?

Has consideration been given to other orchestras within the State, whether youth or adult, which are not currently provided for by RTÉ?