Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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The first petition for consideration is No. P000034/17. It is proposed to forward a copy of the reply received from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to the petitioner and close the petition. Is that agreed?

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I have one brief comment to make. Foxes are beautiful animals. One can often see them on the lawns here. They are as cute as some of the foxes that have walked in here during the years.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Are there mongrel foxes too?

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I have a great love of animals. I have a background in horticulture. Sometimes, however, we must realise foxes can cause a lot of damage, especially in the farming sector, to flocks of sheep and also bird life. I would like this point to be noted when the petition is dealt with.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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It is duly noted. I thank the Deputy. We are agreed on the course of action to taken on the petition.

The next petition is No. P00002/18. It is proposed that the committee decide that the petition is inadmissible under Standing Order 111C(1)(h) and forward a copy of the response received from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to the petitioner and close the petition. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The final petition is worthy of further discussion. It is No. P00016/18 and was received from Ms Sarah Joyce. It concerns orchestral provision in Ireland. The petitioner believes orchestras are an intrinsic part of our culture and is seeking to call a halt to the report by RTÉ on the review of its orchestral provision and the establishment of a national strategy on the matter by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. She believes it is not a matter for RTÉ alone. We had a discussion on it in the previous session. The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Josepha Madigan, will establish an oversight group, to be chaired by her Department, to begin the discussion on the implementation of RTÉ's independent report and ensure the successful transfer of the National Symphony Orchestra to the National Concert Hall, NCH. In addition, a working group from RTÉ and the NCH will undertake consultation with the staff concerned. The issue is worthy of further discussion.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Before I make my proposal, I concur with the remarks made while the joint committee was meeting in private session. This is one of the most important petitions we have had before us on the provision of orchestras in Ireland. The nation has been very well served by the National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Those of us who sit in the bowels of RTÉ on a Tuesday or Wednesday night while waiting to appear on "The Late Debate" can hear the orchestras practice and sense that the musicians are skilled men and women, professionals, who require our support. Notwithstanding the conclusions reached in the report which states that, in the national interest, neither of the two orchestras should be closed and understanding the Minister's decision to establish an oversight committee or steering group, it would be timely for the committee to invite the director general of RTÉ to discuss RTÉ's future plans for orchestral provision. We should also be looking at the issue of investment in the arts. Even though there is a commitment by the Government to provide for capital investment in the National Concert Hall, what is a national concert hall if one does not have musicians to perform in it or the ambassadorial representation provided by the two orchestras in travelling around the State and the world? I, therefore, propose that the committee invite the director general to come before it to have that discussion.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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If it is in order to do so, I second the proposal made by Senator Jerry Buttimer. It would be a good idea to have the director general of RTÉ come to the joint committee for a further discussion on the matter. The two orchestras have been part of our culture and heritage for 60 or 70 years. Like Senator Jerry Buttimer, I have often appeared on "The Late Debate" and heard the orchestras practising while waiting. I believe it calmed us down. As the orchestras are very much part of the culture of Ireland, the issue warrants a debate. We should, therefore, invite the director general of RTÉ to come to the committee for a further discussion on it. Personally, I would not like to see the demise of the orchestras.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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For the purposes of clarification, in some respects the petition has been superseded by the fact that RTÉ has replied to the joint committee with a copy of the independent report published on 23 April. It is worth going into its content. It is entitled, RTÉ Orchestras: Ensuring a Sustainable Future, and was produced by the former director of BBC Radio and BBC News, Ms Helen Boaden, with the support of the strategy consulting firm Mediatique. The review looked at the best way to provide high quality and sustainable orchestral services for the Irish public and covered the National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. It is important to distinguish between the two. The report's core conclusion is that it is not in the national interest for either of the two orchestras to be closed and that they should be brought up to full strength. However, the report also concludes that it is hard to see how RTÉ can fund even the current level of provision, let alone cover the increase in budgets that would be required to enable the orchestras to return to full strength and undertake touring and educational programmes. It recommends that the National Symphony Orchestra be established as a national cultural institution in its own right, or as part of the National Concert Hall, and be funded by the Government. I believe committee members are agreeing to a further discussion on the matter. Many people are confused about what is going on. Many of us absolutely agree that the output of both orchestras is absolutely vital to Ireland's cultural life, but it is also pertinent for the committee to agree to the suggestion that we invite the director general of RTÉ to come to give us its perspective on the issue. I propose that we do not close the petition at this point in order that we can have that further discussion. We can then see what action the committee might take arising from that discussion.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I concur with the Chairman. I have made my proposal, not in an adversarial way but, as the Chairman said, to seek clarity on the issue as there is confusion. We have both met people from Cork who are directly affected by it. They have a genuine passion and interest in orchestral provision in RTÉ and Ireland. I am aware that Deputy Eugene Murphy feels the same way. The proposal has been made to bring clarity and certainty to the matter to try to enhance the debate on it.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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If members are of a mind not to intervene further, I propose that the joint committee keep the petition open. We will correspond with the director general of RTÉ and invite her to come at the first available opportunity in the autumn for a further discussion on the issue.

Is that agreed? Agreed. I should have said we propose to forward copies of the replies received from RTÉ, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment and the office of the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to the petitioner. Is that agreed? Agreed.

As we have concluded our business, I propose that we adjourn until 1.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 26 September. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I thank our invaluable secretariat for the work it has done in this session. I also thank members for their co-operation and hope they will enjoy the break.