Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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If I miss a question, I ask members to come back to me.

I will start with the artists' exemption. It was good news to have it increased this year from €40,000 to €50,000. I accept fully what Senator Fiach Mac Conghail is saying about its aggregation over a five year term, given the drop in the incomes of artists. I agree with him and we will take up the matter with the Department of Finance.

I was asked about the role of the Arts Council and the national cultural institutions in the 2016 programme. We have proposals from the Arts Council and all of the cultural institutions and are going to move on them. We very much want them to be involved. The arts bring another dimension to the programme and it is important to use them to look forward also. They can cross boundaries that the spoken word cannot and they should be very much involved in the 2016 commemorations. That is why I took the opportunity when I was meeting arts officers separately on their own issues to say I wanted to discuss the 2016 commemorations with them to see how they could become involved. Artists and the arts will play a significant role in 2016.

Cultural capital was mentioned. I was in New Orleans only a few weeks ago when I saw how greatly the people there valued their culture and the arts. This has a hugely positive effect on the economy there. I met the mayor who gave us a document on how they valued the arts and how they translated into economic activity in the city. Investment in the arts has made a huge difference and brought long-term benefits, a point on which I agree with Deputy Catherine Murphy.

I was asked about legislation. The draft heads of two Bills are with the committee on the museum and galleries. The National Concert Hall Bill is my priority. The other two are at pre-legislative scrutiny stage.