Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate this afternoon. The arts play a vital role across the Irish society and it should be recognised more. However, I believe we are missing the point when we talk and make arguments about whether there should be Minister for the arts. We should insist on is that the Government recognises economic, social and cultural rights across all of society, regardless of whether the Minister for the arts or whether the arts are included in a wideranging brief. We should insist that Government policy recognises the cultural rights of all our citizens to be able to express themselves through the arts and to make a living for themselves and their families through artistic endeavour no matter where they live in the country.

I wish to speak about my own county of Donegal where it is extremely difficult, or virtually impossible, for people in rural parts to actually make a life within the arts. Donegal would probably be one of the better counties in its support for the arts through Donegal County Council and the good work it does with the Earagail Arts Festival and the Donegal Bay and Bluestacks Festival, and the wider cultural remit of the council.

However, the arts are always the first thing to be cut whenever difficulties arise with funding. It is the same on a national level and that is the problem of the arts experience. If we had a society that recognised the cultural rights of all our citizens, that would not be the case. We could see the value the arts provide not only for the individuals who work in the arts and who provide for a greater society but all of us. That is vitally important. We should provide a system that encourages our young people to get involved and to be able to express themselves because it does wonders for their confidence and their sense of self-worth, which feeds into the wider community. That is what we should aim to achieve. Having a Minister designated to the arts will not change that and will not deliver. What will deliver is having a Government and a society that recognises cultural rights for all citizens.

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