Dr. Karan Casey:

Yes, I might refer to Ms Cusack on the statutory binding conditions. I thank Senator Byrne for his questions. One of the first ways to rebuild trust is to get the sexual predators who have committed serious crimes off the circuit. If a man has raped a woman, he needs to be in jail. That is the first thing. The next thing would be for people to acknowledge that this is a problem. We have been told for four years that this is a problem and that we are making a fuss. It needs to be acknowledged and then the policies need to be put in place to deal with it, Ms Ní Nualláin and Mr. Jackson have outlined the policy on what constitutes sexual harassment. When people arrive at a gig, they could be given a page that says what constitutes sexual harassment and mentions who they can go to or report to if something happens. Of course that is difficult in the traditional and folk world because gigs and sessions can be very small and might not necessarily be for money. Therefore, to answer Deputy Mythen's question, it can be difficult to know who to go to. Who is the boss in that situation? That is a question we are asking the politicians to sort out.

The other way to build trust is for people to be heard and acknowledged. While it is incredibly brave of all of us to have come forward and reported our accounts, it is traumatising. It is retraumatising, and retriggering, and really difficult. We do not want to be sitting here talking about this issue. We need a complaints procedure to be put in place that people can avail of, as recommended in our briefing notes, to enable an investigation to be carried out. Funding needs to be expanded greatly in order for these processes to happen.

In regard to the statutory body and whistleblowing that Deputy Mythen brought up and is important, I would be happy to go in and give the names and be a whistleblower if I thought I would be protected. We would be happy to do it but we would need to be protected. In France, the French equivalent of the Arts Council for the music sector is the Centre National de la Musiquewhich has launched a protocol for the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, where people can report and be protected to do so. It has given €1 million. I know they have more money but it is good. There are many practical things we can do if we all want to find a solution. That is why we are here today. We all need to be on board. This needs to be a priority. The rape of women is not allowed. I am astounded that our own community has not been more proactive and has left us standing in the rain, as it were. This needs to be a priority; otherwise it is not a community.

For practical examples of what we can do, I will refer to Ms Cusack. I hope I have answered everybody's questions.