Mr. Rory Coveney:

I would like to thank the Deputy for his support in another committee in respect of our overall funding position. Many of those issues have been well rehearsed in the last year particularly in various Oireachtas committees. The director general and a number of others are in front of another committee next week to talk about some of the more pressing issues around our ongoing difficulties in respect of deficits and financial sustainability.

As Mr. Ó Dubhghaill said somewhat passionately, he has lived this for many years. It is about trying to protect and sustain something. The petition rightly says that something needs to be done. We are at an impasse or crossroads, not just in respect of RTÉ more broadly but specifically in respect of the challenge around sustaining two orchestras. The review has attempted to create a road map for a sustainable future. What happens next is important. As Mr. Ó Dubhghaill said, these are not decisions just for us to make. We have been heartened by the reaction of Government. It was swift in supporting all the findings of the review, which has implications in terms of finance and governance for people other than just us.

The Cabinet considered the review in total and the recommendations therein in July and made an important decision around the ultimate home of the NSO. There are two options in the review, as Mr. Horsman stated, and the Government came down on the side of joining the National Concert Hall and the National Symphony Orchestra in one cultural institution into the future. That has challenges, of course, but there is logic to it. It is the current physical home of the NSO. There is no doubt that there are significant challenges for the hall to absorb the very big new responsibility of running the National Symphony Orchestra, not least the number of people in it. It is growing its head count very significantly - in fact, it is tripling.

There are associated governance arrangements in respect of the legislation that underpins the National Concert Hall. Some of that may need to be adjusted and the board structure of the hall itself may need to reflect the new responsibilities. Ultimately, as the review recommended, there is a new funding mechanism which would require a grant of some kind to be delivered, most likely through the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, a continued funding relationship between RTÉ and the NSO and, obviously, commercial income generated from the performances as well. All of that is to be worked out over the next year or so, along with the physical transition in terms of employment rights and everything else. That process between RTÉ and the National Concert Hall is to be managed by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, which has been mandated by Cabinet to do so. It is chairing the respective working groups to get this done in a way that works for everyone. So far, so good.

I should also say that this has been very difficult for the musicians from the outset. They have had their future dangled in front of them and uncertainty about their future has been around for some time in RTÉ. The review understandably made everyone somewhat nervous. There is a plan and there now appears to be support for it. We are hopeful that all the stakeholders can deliver it as soon as we can.