Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas le baill an choiste as an gcuireadh a bheith ina dteannta. I thank committee members for the invitation to join them today.

The purpose of the Bill is to put the necessary legal framework in place to complete the transfer of the National Symphony Orchestra, NSO, and choirs from RTÉ to the National Concert Hall, NCH. It will cement the role of the NSO within the NCH, formalising and enhancing the relationship that has been in place since the establishment of the concert hall in 1981.

Although largely technical in nature, the Bill marks an important step in the journey the orchestra, the concert hall, RTÉ, my colleagues and I have been on for the past number of years. It is divided into four parts with Part 1 dealing with general provisions, such as the Short Title and definitions of terms in the Bill. Part 2 provides for the transfer of functions, staff, property and liabilities relating to the orchestra and choirs from RTÉ to the National Concert Hall. These provisions date from the transfer day, 24 January 2022. It does so by amending the National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Act 2015. Part 3 provides for the integration of the orchestra and choirs into the everyday operation of the NCH by adding a new function for the maintenance and operation of an orchestra and choir to the functions of the concert hall. It also provides for an increase in the membership of the board from eight to nine members. The legislation requires this additional board member to have experience of and expertise in the development of orchestras. The final Part replaces RTÉ’s previous function to manage orchestras and choirs with the function of managing a concert orchestra only. I look forward to going through these in more detail.

The legislation builds on the commitment of everyone involved to build a stronger orchestra within a dedicated national cultural institution for music. Critically, the Bill provides a new function for the concert hall dedicated to the development and maintenance of the orchestra. It also places the orchestra at the centre of the concert hall’s corporate governance arrangements by providing for a new board member with orchestral expertise and experience.

In some ways, the Bill represents the end of one journey – the transfer of the orchestra and choirs – but it is also the first step in a much more important journey as we now turn our minds to building and enhancing the symphony orchestra and concert hall to ensure they are fit for purpose in an evolving environment and are at the heart of music in Ireland for generations to come. The challenge of the past few years has shown us the immeasurable value of music and live performance. It has certainly cemented my view of the value of the orchestra and concert hall both at the heart of classical music in Ireland and as a place for people to come together and enjoy a shared musical experience. Mar a dúirt an tUachtarán ag Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann i mí Iúil:

Lig dúinn ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar cheol ... na hÉireann i ngach cruth a thagann sé, agus lig dúinn athcheangail a dhéanamh leis an gceol, agus an tábhacht atá ag baint le taispeántas beo agus muid ag ceiliúradh ... le chéile.

Music is just one part of the wider cultural offering of our national cultural institutions. In that context, I have tabled three amendments, the purpose of which is to raise the limit of the State’s indemnity for loans of artworks and cultural objects from outside the State, which is required for visiting exhibitions. These amendments are critical to ensuring our pre-eminent cultural institutions, such as the National Gallery and Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA, continue to be able to receive high-value, international loans and exhibitions. The success of the recent Freud exhibition at IMMA shows the value the public place on having works of such international importance shown here, as well as raising our profile internationally to stand with other national galleries and institutions. Under the National Cultural Institutions Act 1997, the aggregate amount on liability undertakings with respect to State indemnity is limited to €190 million. This figure is no longer fit for purpose as it does not account for the significant appreciation in the monetary value of artworks and other cultural artefacts, nor the increase in opportunities for significant arts and cultural exhibitions to visit Ireland since the establishment of the Act 25 years ago. I, therefore, propose to increase this limit to €1.6 billion.

With the provision of State indemnity, our cultural institutions can meet the essential requirements of prominent international institutions and private collectors, thus making Ireland a more attractive candidate for high profile exhibitions. This will increase the cultural offering available to the public.

I thank members for their time, and I look forward to their consideration of the Bill and these three amendments.