Ms Jane Daly:

The Irish Theatre Institute made five realistic recommendations in our Speak Up: A Call for Change report, some of which are in train, led by the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, in consultation with the Department of Justice and in collaboration with Screen Ireland and the Arts Council. The recommendations include both short-term, practical initiatives and the longer-term challenge of changing mindsets, behaviours and culture. We are asking for a resourced action plan with timelines, led by the Government, the Minister and relevant agencies, to be formulated and implemented and this should be rooted in equality legislation. It must address the need for change at a systemic level, which will require cross-departmental engagement, given how widespread the problem is.

We must all act together. We have the evidence, the issue has been measured, the report is published, we have recommendations and we need to implement them now. It is no longer acceptable to do nothing. We know that behaviours in perpetrators can escalate if not addressed early on, particularly where they occur with impunity. It is no longer acceptable for the people who make our arts sector shine nationally and internationally to be made to create work in unsafe environments. The voices of the 1,343 participants in the Speak Up survey, including campaigners such as FairPlé, Mise Fosta and Safe Arts of Ireland, SAOI, are the agents of change for the arts sector. Their voices and first-hand experiences are what inform the recommendations of the report. Speak Up: A Call for Change aims to create a safe and truly respectful working environment for the arts and for perpetrators to know their time is up.