Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What the witnesses have said so far has been really enlightening but it has also shown the passion and how much it has impacted on all the witnesses' lives. I take Mr. Arkins's point about how at the end of the day, none of these questions have been asked before while billions have been spent on this. I accept fully his point that it is for us to investigate this. To be fair, Deputy Boyd Barrett has been talking about this for a long time so I thank him. As Mr. Arkins said, it costs the State €4 billion. Who is the biggest beneficiary and who bears the biggest cost? In his opening statement, Mr. Arkins pointed out that the real value of the film and TV industry is not at the point of production but is in the copyright and intellectual property created by all the parties. According to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, enforcement of intellectual property protection is essential to preserve the legal validity of intellectual property rights, prevent infringement in order to avoid wholesale damage to a person and his or her goods and services, including loss of goodwill and reputation, and seek compensation for actual damage caused. Does Mr. Arkins think the State is failing in its obligation to protect the intellectual property of all parties involved in bringing a film or TV show to the screen?