Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. While it is a short Bill, it is very important that we allow the Irish Film Board the extra funding that it will give it, with an increase from €200 million to €300 million. That is a significant step and hopefully this money will be used properly to encourage growth in this area.

Given the number of films produced in Ireland over the last few years, it is easy to see that it is a thriving sector. With continued investment, it will continue to thrive. Other films that may not have primarily been set in Ireland but which contained scenes shot here, such as "Braveheart", "Saving Private Ryan" and "King Arthur" all have enjoyed worldwide success. It will do our industry no harm that these international hits used Ireland as a location to film. They would have shown our technical ability and the professionalism within the industry. I welcome the increase in funding to the industry.

There is an artistic side to all this, but we need to figure out how to encourage the industry not only to boost film making, but also to encourage tourism. It is important to look to the future to see how the industry can grow. I understand that the audiovisual review steering group recommends that if continued investment was made, we could see some major gains made in the industry. One of the recommendations states that we can double the value of the industry to over €1 billion. This would lead to an obvious increase in employment, hopefully from the current figure of 6,000 to over 10,000. The sector is valued at €550 million at the moment, representing 3% of gross domestic product and this means it is a key contributor to the Irish economy. Some 85 % of those working in the industry are in the independent sector, while 15% are in broadcasting, and this shows the huge potential for development in the sector.

There are 567 companies in the sector at the moment, and the majority of these are based in Dublin and have been trading for five years or less, which shows that it is an industry in its infancy. There is potential to spread this towards other major centres in the country, such as Galway, Cork or up in the North. A better spread around the country would produce more employment in the years to come. The vast majority of those working in the sector are under the age of 50, with nearly 60% of them educated to degree level. One student from the college in Ballyfermot won an award for his role in "Avatar", which gained worldwide success and which is a fantastic recommendation for that college. It is only one of many colleges that is beginning to recognise the potential in this, such as Blanchardstown IT. I have a friend there currently doing a creative digital media course along with 50 other students. That is a relatively new course and it shows the amount of young people who want to get into the sector and who believe in its potential. Students at the Cluain Mhuire campus in GMIT are also involved in film.

The McCarthy report examined the role of the Irish Film Board and made some recommendations, including merging it with other organisations. There is much in that report that I would not agree with, and considering the investment we are putting into the Irish Film Board, it is important to leave the board on its own, so it can continue to drive the industry and bring people to this country.

I welcome the Bill. It shows that the industry is travelling in a positive direction at the moment. I hope that it continues to go from strength to strength. Not only can it continue to attract people to this country, it can also show us in a positive and businesslike manner. I encourage the Minister to continue to do whatever he can to make this sector as strong as possible as it has the potential to employ an awful lot more people and gain a much stronger reputation throughout the world.

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