Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

There can be no question about supporting this Bill. I understand it is technical legislation, the purpose of which is to raise the ceiling for the amount the Irish Film Board is allowed to spend in its lifetime from €200 million to €300 million because it has almost reached that ceiling. All of us should support this straightforward measure as it will allow the board to continue to function.

No one could disagree with the Minister's comments on the value and importance of the film industry and the need to promote and develop it. While I am not one for blowing national trumpets because all countries have talent and ability, as many speakers noted, Ireland appears to have produced a disproportionate amount of literary talent which has fed into the creative sphere generally and film in particular. One could say the same about theatre. We have produced an impressive array of writers, directors and actors and should be proud of this tradition which we should nurture, develop, expand and invest in irrespective of the economic circumstances. Producing films and art is an end in itself. It does not require economic justification because film and art are good things in themselves. They raise us above the drudgery of daily work, toil and so forth and make life and existence worthwhile. This is what culture is about and there should be no

question that we should invest, develop and expand film and art. In so far as the Minister has indicated a desire to do this, he is right and I could not but agree with him.

In the current economic circumstances, it would be foolish not to recognise the economic advantage of developing this area in which we have resources, ability, talent and a reputation. We can and should expand this sector because it has considerable potential to generate employment and, as a number of speakers noted, visitors to the country. In this regard, I will make a passing comment which relates to my earlier point that film and the arts are an end in themselves. We should be a little careful about turning film or art generally into a commodity or means of selling brand Ireland. This is not what motivates our artists, writers and actors. If this type of logic were to drift into the thinking or policy behind Government Departments' approach, it would do an injustice to film and art. Art is not about selling or creating a brand or promoting an international reputation. Handled sensitively and with respect and properly supported and nurtured, however, it will produce economic spin-offs in terms of employment, enhancing the country's reputation globally and attracting people to visit the country because they like what they see in representations of Ireland in film or when they see its artists, writers and actors represented in this arena. All of these things are to be welcomed, as are all the statements that have been made in the House.

While it is one thing to propose raising the expenditure limit for the Irish Film Board on technical grounds, it is another thing for the money to be invested in the sector and that is where the problem lies. We have a large coterie of artists, film-makers, technicians and designers who are at the highest level globally and can stand toe to toe with the best in the world in all the different aspects and areas of film, whether creative or technical or in areas such as production. We also have great landscapes and so forth and the tax incentive schemes have delivered some investment in film and an expansion in film making which has generated jobs and revenue. Notwithstanding these factors, we continue to under-invest in this area despite its considerable potential and talent. A large number of the approximately 6,000 people who are directly employed in the film industry and the many others who participate in the making of films are working for a pittance.

The budget for the Irish Film Board this year, which stands at €16 million, has been cut significantly, although the reduction has not been as bad as some of the other austerity measures imposed elsewhere. Nonetheless, the allocation is significantly lower than it was in 2008, for example. Regardless of whether the Irish Film Board's budget is €16 million or €20 million, we must put it in perspective if we are to understand how little we are investing in this area, which all of us agree is important. This year's allocation is about half the budget of one major Hollywood movie. If we all agree that the Irish film sector has potential and talent and jobs can be created in it, clearly an allocation of €16 million is paltry. Thousands more jobs could be created in the industry.

The Bill's digest notes that while Irish films win awards, they do not do well at the box office. Part of the reason is that we do not invest in a distribution infrastructure and must rely on American distributors and other global players. We are at the bottom of the queue because the money and resources being invested to develop the domestic industry are insufficient. We are completely reliant on foreign cinema capital and the infrastructure of the US and other film industries. As a result, we are not sufficiently developing or promoting our movies, talent and ability. This vast untapped potential can only be realised if the State substantially increases its direct investment in film. To do so would create a win-win scenario from a cultural, economic and employment perspective.

I ask the Minister to comment on an issue that has been raised with me by a number of people in recent days. The individuals who contacted me pointed out that some of our tax incentive schemes amount to tax scams for certain wealthy elements in society as they are essentially a risk free investment on which wealthy people avoid tax. It was also suggested to me that Anglo Irish Bank was up to its neck in lending to companies in this area but is not chasing them up for the moneys owed to the bank, and these same companies are not paying what they owe to technicians and the people who actually make the movies. I would like the Minister to comment on that.

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