Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin welcomes the National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015 which will provide for the conversion of the National Concert Hall Company from a company limited by guarantee into a statutory body, the National Concert Hall. Measures outline the functions of the hall, the role of the board, general governance issues and the necessary commercial freedoms required. The Bill provides us with an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the National Concert Hall as a national asset of the people of this State.

We welcome the fact that the National Concert Hall will operate as the national venue for the performance, appreciation and enjoyment of musical, creative, artistic and cultural activities, including the promotion of concerts and recitals of artistic, educational and cultural value. We also acknowledge the considerable potential that the entity holds as a venue to further develop an interest in and appreciation of the arts and to generate increased revenue.

Until recently, the National Concert Hall funding was sourced primarily from ticket sales. Some 70% of total income came from the general public purchasing tickets to attend performances and events. This is a signal of the value that the public places on the National Concert Hall. It is an encouraging figure that demonstrates people's appetite for the arts. Over 300,000 visitors experience more than 1,000 events annually, ranging from classical, opera, traditional, jazz, musicals and popular music.

Government now proposes to secure the future of the National Concert Hall by placing it on a statutory footing, similar to other national cultural institutions. While it may reasonably be expected that the State will continue to provide key funding to support the National Concert Hall in its delivery of its public service remit, we understand that the likelihood is the National Concert Hall will continue to be mainly funded from income generated from its own activities, such as ticket sales and hire of venue. We need a national cultural and arts strategy that matches this type of interest. We, in Sinn Féin, believe that national cultural institutions should be used as a resource by the State.

We need a strategy which recognises that a competitive creative industries sector is vital to the prosperity of the State and an acknowledgement that a creative nation is a productive nation. In times of recession, we should not allow the arts to be viewed as something of a luxury. Unfortunately, when pitted against funding of other sectors in a way that represents choices of "either-or cuts", often the arts take the brunt.

We have a long and rich history of support for arts and culture which has enabled our artistic and cultural communities to prosper. Arts and culture enrich our society, reflect our national identity and are at the core of our burgeoning creative industries sector which encompasses music, the performing arts, film, television and radio, advertising and marketing, software development and interactive content, writing, publishing and print media, architecture, design and visual arts.

We must develop a strategy which supports our creative businesses and talent wherever they are located to enable them to develop and compete globally. The arts should be accessible and available to all sectors of society and should embrace every type of citizen. Schools, old age pensioners, disadvantaged communities and children with disabilities should all have an equal opportunity in accessing the arts. A long-term vision for the development of the arts is necessary in order to make that happen.

I take this opportunity to address a few of the wider issues regarding the current crisis being faced in the arts. Unfortunately, the value of the arts can often be sidelined, especially in the current economic climate where so many sectors face cutbacks. The struggle here is evident in the fact that it is so hard for one to earn a living as an artist and incomes are often supplemented by other means.

Many leading artists over 50 are not in a position to be secure about their older age. Brilliant minds fall by the wayside all too easily for lack of support. There is little facility to support older people as they rise and progress their skills.

Our young artists are going elsewhere and I must ask where are our mid-career artists. What are we doing to capture the young talent that exists in Ireland and to retain and support it? We need to halt the talent-brain drain from this State to further shores. Young people in the arts have considerable potential to contribute revenue for the State. We need to take steps to halt the mass export of our young talent. We need to find a way to sustain them through long-term models. There are methods of this in other European countries. Artists are our thinkers and activists and this is often not appreciated or understood. Finding a way to position artists so that they are valued is critical.

The focus of the current board of the National Concert Hall remains on the proposed transition from company to a statutory body while maintaining the highest standards of musical performance for the enjoyment of the public. This process allows the hall an opportunity to work in partnership with the Government to maximise the transformation of the hall and the site into a world-class centre of musical excellence. Once this process is completed, a new strategy and business plan will be developed and presented to the Minister and the Oireachtas for consideration.

Finally, we warmly welcome the plans to mark 2016 and be part of the year of commemoration. The National Concert Hall will stage a series of seven signature concerts over seven days during Easter Week 2016, arranged around key themes of the Proclamation.

We eagerly look forward to the opening of the new Kevin Barry Rooms, which will be marked by a series celebrating emerging Irish talent across all musical genres. A new commission from the composer Ian Wilson will explore the human and personal aspects of 1916 through the poetry, writings and letters of Pearse and Plunkett. We look forward to these events and support the National Concert Hall in its endeavours. We welcome the Bill.

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