Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Although it is a technical Bill, it will have far-reaching effects for the film and television industry in Ireland. It will also have a good impact on our tourism industry, which I will discuss later.

It is important that we keep funding available for our local film industry so it can continue to produce the high-quality award-winning productions we are famous for the world over. This Bill sends out a positive message to the industry, and the thousands of people employed in it, that we will support it as much as we can in these difficult times. The Government has committed to targeted initiatives to boost job creation. I see this Bill as one of those targeted initiatives. The overall increase in the funding that can be granted by the film board will result in the creation of more jobs; indeed, the previous speaker spoke about a doubling of jobs over the next five years if the correct policies are followed, which is to be welcomed.

The creative industry is an area in which we have expertise and in which growth can take place. The number of college courses producing graduates in media production has been rising steadily over the years, which reflects the industry's importance in our society and its international reputation. As a country, we cannot miss out on the opportunities with which our arts industry provides us to promote ourselves internationally. Television shows and films that are produced here act as large-scale and lengthy tourism advertisements for Ireland. Many films and TV shows have been filmed in my own county of Meath and have helped to promote the county and increase the number of tourists. The Meath Film Commission attracts productions to the county while working with Meath Tourism; it is an example of the tight relationship that exists between the two industries.

Meath can be many things for many different films. Scenes that require an element of Gaelic heritage can be shot, for instance, at Loughcrew or Brú na Bóinne. Trim Castle was used, famously, for the filming of "Braveheart" back in the 1990s, with hundreds of local people employed as extras, which gave a great boost to the local economy. The many beautiful vistas that dominate rural parts of the county can help produce beautiful, romantic backdrops for historical films, including those famously used in the 1975 Stanley Kubrick screen version of the 1944 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, The Luck of Barry Lyndon. Our infrastructure gives great access to Dublin Airport so it is easy for international crews and tourists to get to the county. The reputation of our country has taken knocks over the past number of years but the positive image that can be portrayed through film and television is one way of re-establishing our credibility on the international scene.

Most recently, we had the production of "The Secret of Kells", which helped to improve our standing by playing upon the mythology of Celtic Ireland. It took many images from the Book of Kells and brought them to life for a new generation. Our Celtic mythology is one of the attractions of our island for many tourists and is a key selling point in the American market. Clips from the film were seen by hundreds of millions of people when it was nominated in the best animated film category at the 2010 Oscars in Los Angeles. That was a fantastic achievement for the creators of the film and the staff who worked on it. Many American tourists in Ireland - indeed, over half - say they choose to come to Ireland for their holidays because of word of mouth. Films such as these help to spread the message to Americans and are key to increasing our tourist numbers.

The messages are getting through: the latest figures from the CSO showed an increase of almost 400,000 people travelling here this year. This produces opportunities for job creation and growth in the tourist industry and the arts industry. I urge the Minister to work closely with his colleague in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to maximise the potential for growth in both industries. We need to exploit all angles to stimulate job growth and I will be doing my best to help the Minister achieve this.

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