Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I enjoyed the opening of Deputy Troy's contribution, when he referred to the Minister's work before the summer. We have become used to amnesia being a conscious political choice by Fianna Fáil. The party tries to paint a picture of politics in government starting with this Dáil. However, a new tool has been added to its armoury, namely, selective recall. I heard Deputy Troy use the phrase "the vicious attack this Minister seems to be making on cultural institutions" and assert that we were attacking the institutions' independence. It made me believe that the Deputy was quite endowed with the kind of artistic imagination that he praised in the middle of his speech. It is entirely appropriate for any Government, be it this one or the last, at any point in its tenure to sit back and wonder what type of relationship it has with institutions that are funded by the taxpayer, whether they are still fit for purpose and whether they reflect the times. This is exactly what the Minister, Deputy Deenihan, is seeking to do.

Prior to and following the relevant Private Member's motion, I spoke to a number of the organisations involved. They had legitimate concerns and observations about what was transpiring, but I did not get the sense, following the debate in the House, that they believed they were under a vicious attack by the Minister or that he was pounding on their doors to remove their autonomy or power.

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