Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious that our other report is dealing with that, on one hand, but that there is a knock-on impact on accommodation. I am quite aware of the latter as a result of my knowledge of a number of festivals. The role that arts organisations have been playing in terms of integration and displaced persons has been very important, for example, through the creative arts and creative schools programmes. I was at Bunscoil Loreto in Gorey on Monday. The children there performed “Ode to Joy” in six languages, as well as playing. It was just beautiful. There is a lot of good work but we need to flag it.

I share Ms Nugent and Mr. McGlynn’s concern that we need to highlight very strongly the need for arts spaces in all of our communities if we are going to support the arts, and that goes from visual artists being able to work to rehearsal space for those in the performing arts. It is going to be critical if we want to do this. Dare I say it, while I know there is a capital programme on the arts side, we need an arts capital programme along the same lines as the sports capital programme. We should start to talk about being that ambitious in the same way that we looked at significant additional funding for the Arts Council and so on. I make no apologies for saying it because it is as important for all of our communities. I back significant investment in sports facilities but I think we need to look at a similar type of programme to support both existing and potential new facilities.

This report will be coming out during the budgetary process. For each of the organisations present, although Ms Nash does not necessarily have to answer, if they have one budget priority to support community and voluntary arts, what would it be? Cén tosaíocht amháin a bheadh agaibh don bhuiséad?