Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to contribute on this legislation. I welcome the Bill, which gives us an opportunity to debate the arts, culture and the National Concert Hall. Many people often ignore the great work being done in the arts, the number of people employed therein, how the arts lift the country's spirit, and their significant financial contribution to the country. A country without arts is a country without a soul. I do not say this lightly.

We all need to up our game in supporting the arts. There is potential to generate a healthier society and more jobs in the arts sector, but we do not take it seriously enough. This week, I was asked to open an art exhibition at Coolock library. The exhibition was done on glass by a group of young Travellers from the St. Thomas Centre in Coolock. I was blown away by their standards, skills and creativity and how they enjoyed their art project. I tell this story to ensure that we all see the great lift that students get and the urgent need not to ignore the arts where young people are concerned. Cutting arts services or classes in our schools is a bad decision for the pupils and the country as a whole. We need to keep the more creative pupils in our schools.

Regarding the broader arts issue and the National Concert Hall, we need to examine why our spend is low compared with other European countries. I urge the Minister to address this matter, as we accept it as a reality. I wish to use this as an opportunity to support the National Campaign for the Arts, NCFA.

I will go into detail on the importance of the arts. They present a fantastic way for students to express themselves. Students need to shine in ways other than academically. It would be a shame if there were untapped talent due to a lack of funding in our schools. Who decides that maths, English and science are the only important subjects? The arts are what make us human. We can express our feelings and opinions through them. How artists and writers express their times is how we study those periods. How else could we have studied ancient history?

State support increases access to arts and facilitates art production and participation. It improves the quality of life of residents and attracts visitors and investment. It grows small, sustainable businesses and addresses isolation in rural areas through, for example, amateur dramatic societies and men's clubs, as well as reducing population flight. Emma Goldman was a political activist from the former Russian Empire who believed in everyone's right to access beautiful things. Her famous quote was: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." This is an important aspect of our debate.

Artists want help, not handouts. It is important that the Minister listen. Artists want access to information, advice on business and support for workspaces. Should the Government have a legitimate role to play in the arts when so many other needs are pressing? This is a question that we hear regularly. The answer is "Yes". Let us deal with the facts. In addition to the feel-good factor, the arts are an economic driver, they attract tourism and they revitalise rural areas. They are an educational asset, cultivate young imaginations, foster physical, mental and emotional health and preserve culture and heritage, passing along State traditions to future generations. We have Beckett, Wilde, Behan, W. B. Yeats and Robert Ballagh.

I welcome the developments that indicate that the Beit paintings will remain in Ireland. I ask the Minister to do her utmost to ensure that they do.

I am delighted that the principle of independence in respect of the boards of national cultural institutions has been secured in this Bill. I hope that the proposed legislative changes affecting the National Gallery, the Crawford Art Gallery and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA, will be quietly set aside. The next budget needs to reverse the damage caused by the funding cutbacks of recent years. The small improvements in last year's budget needs to be enhanced. There are not only cultural and artistic arguments for this, but also a strong economic one.

On a positive note, I am delighted to see that Ms Kerry McCall, chair of the NCFA research working group and a lecturer at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, IADT, has been awarded an Irish Research Council New Foundations grant with Dr. Victoria Durrer, lecturer at Queen's University Belfast, to enable the setting up of an all-island cultural policy research network. As a North-South initiative, this network will bring together academic researchers from across the island to profile existing research and make connections in areas relating to cultural policy. This is a fantastic initiative that I support strongly. I also support the need for greater connections and opportunities for research in arts and culture on the island.

I would like the Minister to consider the ideas that are coming through. Will she bring Ireland's level of public expenditure on arts and culture in line with the EU member state GDP average? This is important, and it is what artists are asking us to do when representing their interests in this House.

Culture 2025 is important. In January, the Minister met artists and assured them that there would be wider consultation in the coming months and that there was an appetite at Government level for moving Culture 2025 forward. I hope the Minister follows up on that front. Will she make an inquiry into the development of Culture 2025 and ensure that the right allocation of resources is in place to achieve it? Will she also ensure that the promised wide consultation with the sector occurs? When one has an asset like the arts sector, one nurtures and develops it.

The purpose of this Bill is to provide for the conversion of the National Concert Hall Company from a company limited by guarantee into a statutory body, the National Concert Hall. The National Concert Hall is to 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. I support this purpose. Many children in schools, particularly disadvantaged schools, would have dropped out of the system were it not for the contribution of the arts to those schools. I worked in a disadvantaged school many years ago. I arranged for a group of artists - literary people and musicians - to go to it. Attendance and activity levels at the school improved, moving to 96% or 97% in the case of the former. This extra help did not cost much money.

I remember clearly that the levels had been at 50% or 60% in some of the most severely disadvantaged schools.

Like many of my colleagues, I tried out the concept of art therapy to assist dysfunctional and crisis families. Artists who were also trained therapists came in to work with kids from those families. It was absolutely mind-blowing to see the contribution that involvement in art and the underlying art therapy made to the lives of little four, five and six year old children from violent and dysfunctional families and homes that were full of alcohol, cocaine and gangland connections. The arts are available for us to enjoy, but they can also be used for art therapy to help dysfunctional children in crisis situations. This was done as part of the Breaking the Cycle initiative, which made a massive contribution to breaking the cycle.

The sad thing I notice when we are discussing the arts is that many people in broader society do not get it. There are smart alecs out there who regularly make derogatory comments about the arts. I challenge them to learn about the artistic, cultural and economic benefits of the arts. We need to look at the statistics that reveal the massive contribution to Irish society that is made by many talented people in this country.

Section 3 of the Bill establishes that any expenses incurred in the administration of the Bill, once enacted, shall be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas. This brings us back to the whole issue of value for money. I would argue that if one invests in the arts, one will get value for money. Money invested in art therapy will stop young children in crisis situations from ending up in Mountjoy or other prisons. If one puts money into the arts, one will develop another aspect of the person and bring strong economic arguments as well. Section 4 provides that the Minister may appoint by order the establishment day of the National Concert Hall.

Section 12 deals with appointments to casual vacancies on the board of the National Concert Hall. This is another important issue. Those who are involved in the board should have a strong record in the arts. We should have a clean-out and bring an end to the days of cronyism. Those days are gone now. We need to deal with these issues strongly and comprehensively. We should ensure those who are involved in these boards have a great connection to and passionate love of the arts. They should also be professional. For that reason, section 12 is a very important element of this legislation.

Section 15 of the Bill provides that members of the board will operate on a pro bonobasis but may receive travel and subsistence expenses where approved. I agree that they should get some sort of expenses. We should stop apologising for paying expenses to people who make a contribution. If they get a few bob for it, good luck to them. Mistakes were made in the past when people ripped off expenses. Nowadays, it seems that one cannot get expenses for anything. That is what modern Irish society is like for the citizens out there. I agree with the provision in section 15 that allows for subsistence expenses to be approved.

Section 16 deals with the preparation of a statement of strategy. That is very important because we need a clearly worked-out strategy for the National Concert Hall. I am a regular visitor to the concert hall for all sorts of shows. I am absolutely blown away by the talent I see in there, for example, when I go to see classical guitarists, Spanish guitarists, children's shows or Christmas shows at Christmas time. I also like the concert hall's lovely car park. It is very handy that it is right next door.

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