Ms Garry Hynes:

We do not allow a situation, for instance, where any organisation funded by any part of the Government pays less than the minimum wage. There may be people willing to work for less than the minimum wage because they want to get on but that should not be allowed. We must create a situation where the health of the sector is always in view. We must make sure that we do not have people at the age of 40 who need private healthcare but who cannot afford it. We must sit down and think about it. Various stakeholder bodies like the Arts Council and all of us involved in the industry are required to do this so that we do not have a situation where 312 members of the theatrical profession are signing letters to The Irish Times saying that they are being "cast adrift". That is significant. This is an easily ordered thing but it needs an increase in spending on the arts by Government, which this Government is not doing currently.