Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"endorses the positive contribution that a thriving arts and culture sector makes to Irish society as a whole;

acknowledges the value of our cultural heritage;

recognises the impact on the economy and jobs of our wider arts sector, contributing €4.7 billion to the economy and directly and indirectly supporting 79,000 jobs;

recognises Ireland's obligation under Article 27 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states: 'Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits';

notes the many successful initiatives by Ireland's national cultural institutions which contribute to the enhancement of Ireland's reputation abroad and among the diaspora;

welcomes:

— the statement in the Programme for Government 2011 - 2016 that the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 'will make strategic policy formulation the primary function of the Department, with line agencies and bodies responsible for policy implementation'; and

— the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht's Statement of Strategy 2011 - 2014 mandate 'to foster, promote and support Ireland's world-class artistic and cultural strengths, at home and abroad';

understands that:

— the Public Service Reform Plan, published by Government in November 2011, sets out a range of reform initiatives designed to reduce duplication, support the delivery of services to the public, and put in place the structures, processes, ways of working, technologies and capabilities needed by the public service today;

— the following five major commitments to change are enshrined in the Public Service Reform Plan:

— placing customer service at the core of everything we do;

— maximising new and innovative service delivery channels;

— radically reducing our costs to drive better value for money;

— leading, organising and working in new ways; and

— strong focus on implementation and delivery;

— bodies listed in the Public Service Reform Plan include the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Crawford Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Ireland, the National Archives, the Irish Manuscripts Commission, an Coimisinéir Teanga, the National Library of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland, the Placenames Commission, the Heritage Council and Culture Ireland; and

— the institutions referred to above are currently constituted in a variety of different structures; and notes:

— the vitally important social, academic, cultural, heritage, tourism, economic and artistic functions performed by Ireland's National Cultural Institutions, including in the context of Ireland's reputational recovery;

— the importance of all our national cultural institutions in delivering a cultural programme in support of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2013, the Decade of Centenaries, 1912 – 1922 and for the Gathering Ireland 2013 event;

— the importance, furthermore, of periodically reviewing organisations, especially in regard to value for the taxpayer and efficiency of service delivery to the public;

— the €47 million allocated to the National Cultural Institutions in 2012;

— the continuing underlying growth in visitor numbers to the National Cultural Institutions;

— the extensive consultation undertaken by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in response to the Public Service Reform Plan;

— the Government's commitment that, in bringing forward any governance reforms that may be required to realise the goals of the Public Service Reform Plan, it will support the programming and curatorial independence of the National Cultural Institutions; and

— the Minister's intention to conclude his response to the Public Service Reform Plan as soon as possible and to consult with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to bringing these matters to Government."

I am pleased to be here this evening to contribute to this debate on our national cultural institutions. It is a healthy sign of a vibrant society, an engaged legislature and a robust democracy when a Privmate Members' business debate is about arts, culture and our cultural institutions even if the tone of the debate has been rather negative and not well informed at times.

If artists, writers and choreographers are the trustees of civilisation, our cultural institutions are the keepers of that civilisation. The desire to make and experience art is an organic part of human nature. Without it, our lives are impoverished and our sense of community is diminished. Our national cultural institutions enrich and enhance all of our lives. Some have done so for more than a century and a half, as in the case of the National Gallery. My objective in Government is to make the arts and culture part of our national script and a central and essential part of the narrative about the character of a new, different, changed and better Ireland.

The subject of this evening's debate arises in the broader context of the Government's public service reform plan, published by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, last November. That process constitutes a central part of bringing about necessary reform in the way we do things. It is important to note that, in a time of tight resources and when we have to maximise the use of every cent taxpayers give to every institution, no organisation is above examination for reform. The periodic examination of organisations, especially those receiving money from the taxpayer, is a healthy and necessary exercise.

The public service reform plan aims to deliver enhanced service efficiencies and a more focused and democratically accountable public service. The plan notes that the Government also recognises that shared services have the potential to transform the competitiveness of State bodies, and will actively pursue this issue. Sharing of back office administrative functions such as human resources, IT, payroll, procurement and other services will offer significant long-term savings in the operation of State bodies generally.

My Department has adopted the following broad approach towards the implementation of the reform plan in so far as it relates to bodies under its aegis: the establishment of a high level reform committee to oversee the process of implementing the Government's decisions in these matters as effectively and efficiently as possible; written consultations and meetings with bodies, as appropriate; consideration of previous evaluations, where relevant; consultation with key stakeholders; examination of submissions made; and meetings with the directors and senior management of bodies, as appropriate.

We do a lot of things well in Ireland. In the realm of arts and culture we are world class but one thing we could do better is to have a calm and cool debate about the future direction of organisations that are funded by the taxpayer and are in place to serve the nation. I know and understand these institutions. I have engaged with them throughout my life. My door is always open to those who wish to share their views on the future direction of these institutions, and our arts and culture policy more generally. It is a matter of regret that some chose not to use that door and, instead, chose to address me indirectly through the media. I also want to be clear that the public service reform proposals are not in any way a reflection on the dedication, professionalism and commitment of the staff or those who serve on the boards of the institutions involved.

The national cultural institutions, which hold, manage and expand nationally and internationally important collections of art, literature and diverse artifacts on everyone's behalf, are vitally important components of Ireland's academic, cultural, documentary and archaeological heritage. These institutions are the custodians of our past, chroniclers of our present and the arbiters of our future. Some recent commentary has suggested that I am planning to effectively dismantle these organisations. That was repeated here this evening. I am planning no such thing nor, for that matter, is the Government. I want to make that clear.

My Department funds these institutions, not as much as I would like but as much as I can. This year, eight core institutions, including the galleries, museum, library and archives, will receive a total of more than €41 million. That is approximately one third of the arts, culture and film budget of my Department. In addition, the Abbey Theatre will receive more than €7 million, approximately one ninth of the current Arts Council allocation.

These institutions are world class in what they do. They rank ahead of many illustrious international peers. I accept fully that they could do more with more money. However, the funding challenges that I face in my Department are significant. Deputy Martin, as part of a number of Governments, created the conditions that left me in this position.

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