David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her response. I join with her in recognising the work of Poetry Ireland. I congratulate Ms Anne Tannam, who was recently appointed as poet in residence there. I also recognise Professor Paul Muldoon, who is the chair of Poetry Ireland at the moment.

I thank the Minister again for her positive reaction to the suggestion. It is amazing that when we make suggestions, we often get ridiculed and criticised. I feel we should be able to put forward suggestions in this Chamber. Sometimes our friends in the media are the first to knock ideas instead of actually looking at and possibly embracing them and seeing the benefit.

In respect of financial support for poetry in particular, are there any specific figures the Minister can give us from her Department on how much funding has been made available, for instance, to the various institutions to support poetry? Would she agree with me that in this Internet age of artificial intelligence and so on, it is important that we slow down and listen to people who write poetry, which comes from emotion and from the soul?

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