Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I asked the Minister if he had confidence in the Arts Council's ability in this regard, given that over the past five years the council's support of opera has dropped from €4.6 million to €2.2 million. Although the council's grant aid fell by 21% during this period the council's support to opera was cut by 52%.

The Minister and I are aware of the importance of opera in Ireland in terms of cultural tourism. For the reasons I gave, Dublin is unlikely to be able to produce top quality opera that would attract high-spending opera tourists from Britain, the United States and Continental Europe. This is not only a case of lost operas but a case of lost jobs. Opera Ireland was by far the biggest employer of Irish singers in the country.

Will the Arts Council get the required funding or must it skim off funds from other deserving areas of the arts? If all else fails will it be possible to reconstitute Opera Ireland with funding comparable to that of 2010 to provide Dublin with adequate mainstream opera productions? Senior figures in the industry have said opera in Ireland is now precariously balanced.

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