Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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On the point Mr. Ó Dubhghaill made earlier on the stream from Cúil Aodha, Baile Bhúirne and places like that, we have gone from "Mise Éire" right up to Jenny Greene. If one is talking about cultural output and the value, it is very difficult to put a monetary value on something which is so deeply imbedded, cultural and ingrained in the Irish psyche. I believe there is a clear thread between "Mise Éire" and Jenny Greene and people bopping about at Electric Picnic. There is that thread. The tie that binds is the orchestras. We should not lose sight of that. It is important that we, as individual Members of this Oireachtas, ensure that we find some mechanism to support their continuation in every way that we can.

I believe I can reasonably speak for my fellow members here when I say that it is for us to give further consideration to what the witnesses have brought to us here today. It has been a very valuable contribution to our understanding. I know there are other mechanisms through which that can be done in this House but the Committee on Public Petitions is the one mechanism we have in which the citizen engages with us. When the citizen engages with us, raises this important issue and garners so many signatures, it is incumbent on us to ensure that we take some of the messages the witnesses have delivered today and feed them back into the political landscape. There is tremendous goodwill. The campaign around loving our orchestras is resonating deeply with anybody who has an appreciation of the cultural output of RTÉ. I thank the witnesses for their contributions here today. They have been very valuable.

We will give this further consideration now. We are definitely more educated by virtue of our deliberations with the witnesses today. There are further questions concerning the process, to which this committee must give more consideration. Everybody has largely welcomed the report. I believe that the report is very digestible and easily understood. We just need to further interrogate the workings of the oversight and working group and perhaps hold a further discussion.