Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said the requirement is that people will most likely have to have experience in research, but the diversity that is critical is not written into the legislation. It is noteworthy that the area the Minister specified was enterprise. Why, for example, would he not have specified arts? Enterprise is specified because what is considered to be important for the economy is prioritised. I believe that is a mistake. That sort of mistake leads in all sorts of terrible directions. I could refer to the example of RTÉ's "Toy Show The Musical". Somebody thought they could cash in on the Christmas toy show to make money. It really had nothing to do with art and did not make money. It was a total disaster, a fiasco. Therefore, there is a need for diversity of opinion and perspective to make all the things work. I hate to use a word like "dialectics" but I am very committed to dialectics and the interconnectedness of things. The truth is that art needs science. There is a need for balance and diversity in all the various disciplines. That should be hardwired in. This is a reasonable proposal. Although the Minister is not going to accept it, I believe it would inform the make-up of the board. I worry it is at the whim of Ministers. The Minister present may be a good one in this regard - I hope he will be - but others may not. It is right to hardwire diversity of disciplines into the board's composition and that is why we are proposing this.

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