Ms Maureen Kennelly:

I am glad this is the Chairman's hobby horse because it is ours too. None of us would be here if we did not think of young people and children from zero upwards. Senator Cassells mentioned Brían O'Bryne. I am sure if he had not encountered teen theatre he would not be that world-leading actor we have today.

What we must do is make sure that we populate communities, villages, towns and cities with dozens, hundreds, tonnes of artists who are all equipped with the resourcing to produce the highest quality of art.

The Ark was part of our Brightening Air season of events. It streamed a fantastic show, mainly geared towards children in sixth class. Some 16,000 children saw the show, all on the one day, sitting in the their classrooms with their teachers. A huge part of what we are doing for children and young people is considering how we can equip primary schoolteachers and secondary schoolteachers in the arts. That is where it must start. With the extra investment this year, we have been thrilled to be able to invest more in the likes of The Ark, Helium Arts, Baboró in Galway, and many dozens of organisations that provide the highest quality artistic experience for children and young people because that is where we are going to see the results in years to come.