Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Many Deputies feel passionately about the arts, as Deputy Boyd Barrett does. To clarify, it is not my report nor the Department's; this report belongs to those who work in the community, from screen producers to the live events industry to the artists and the cultural institutions. It is their report. These are their recommendations which they have brought to me. It was part of the programme for Government commitment to set up that task force, which I very quickly did, and to get the report in a very quick timeline of six weeks. The task force is to be commended on bringing it down to ten key proposals. What have I done in a number of months? I brought in the €29 million in the July stimulus, €130 million for the Arts Council in 2021 and €50 million for a live event entertainment consultation. The community this impacts welcomed this report. It can trust, given my track record in four months in this position, that I am serious about giving the support to this community which I, like many in this House, feel is an essential part of our identity as a nation.

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