Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism her proposals to utilise culture as a way of creating employment, enhancing Ireland's image abroad and encouraging development and interest in the arts, sporting and recreative sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13997/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The importance and impact of culture is an essential element of our identity, profile, confidence and place in the world. I am convinced, based on the information available to me on those employed and engaged in the wider arts and culture sphere, that there is tremendous potential for enhanced opportunities to transform this landscape into the future.

This optimism is driven and borne out by recent reports examining the importance of the arts, culture and creative sectors for the economy. A DKM report produced last year stated that in the first quarter of 2009 employment in the arts and culture sector stood at 22,400, not including the indirect and induced employment multipliers. DKM also estimated that the direct value added of the arts, culture and creative sectors combined in 2008 was €3.1 billion or 2% of total GNP. Those are not just statistics. They represent real, imaginative, enthusiastic and committed people all over the country deeply involved in their chosen artistic or cultural endeavour. All of those contribute to the fabric of our cultural and social lives and make a difference in so doing. It is vital that they continue to be supported and enabled to make a living from their talents. We must value these attributes both from an economic, cultural and social point of view.

On the economic front, over the past year and particularly arising from the global Irish economic forum held in Farmleigh, culture has come into renewed focus as a unique national asset and our greatest competitive advantage as a "door opener" in developing important economic and tourism links. Culture Ireland will continue to ensure the ongoing promotion of Irish artists worldwide with the aim of generating goodwill and influence for Ireland and highlighting the strength of Irish culture and creativity. In working in close partnership with other State agencies, including the Irish Film Board, Tourism Ireland and the IDA, Culture Ireland will focus on the opportunities to use our culture to bring about positive results in tourism and trade initiatives. The recent appointment of Ireland's first cultural ambassador will enhance further the benefits of our cultural offering.

In the context of my Department's role as the parent Ministry for a number of agencies and institutions in the tourism and culture sectors, the cultural tourism initiative was launched in February 2009 to develop the exciting potential of cultural tourism, by focusing on increasing the extent to which the organisations under the aegis of my Department would combine their expertise and resources in this area.

The cultural tourism initiative also facilitated closer co-operation between the State tourism agencies and the Irish Film Board to exploit the tourism opportunities presented by film and television production in Ireland. The implementation and realisation of those and other initiatives are set to streamline the activities of those sectors and so help to highlight and harness the employment potential of the many attractions throughout the State. In 2009, visitor numbers to the cultural institutions supported by my Department increased by 1% to 3.08 million. The film and audiovisual sectors have consistently proven to be employment generating and profile raising areas of the cultural landscape. The Irish audio content production sector review published in December 2008 demonstrated the employment of more than 7,000 individuals involved in more than 600 production companies, service providers and post-production companies. There also exists a substantial freelance pool of highly creative, committed and flexible individuals and entities.

For 2007, the audiovisual content production sector was valued at €557.3 million. In 2008, the Irish Film Board production funding of €16.7 million for feature film, TV and animation helped generate production activity worth a total of €128.8 million. That was an increase of 61.4% on 2007 figures. Due to the consistent, high quality standards of work, connections and professionalism in the business and through the support of the Irish Film Board new projects continue to come on-stream. The now continuous flow of prestigious international awards for Irish film-makers is crucial to bringing further business here. The recent decision to locate a new production of "Camelot" at Ardmore Studios is further testament to this confidence and commitment which will generate and consolidate the engagement of those crews whose previous experiences will again be called upon.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her long and comprehensive reply.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Ceann Comhairle)
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It anticipates the need for supplementaries.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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We will not ask as many supplementary questions but we will try to be helpful with them as well, a Cheann Comhairle.

It is important to recognise, as the Minister does in her reply, that in particular at times of economic doubt, which is the case at present, a greater responsibility falls on a country's culture and everything associated with it to enhance the image of the country, its employment potential and public interest, and to revive public confidence in the national institutions. What does the Minister intend to do specifically under each of the headings to which she referred? I am conscious of the report to which she referred setting out the employment potential and existing employment in the general area of arts and culture. Does she have a specific plan to identify each of the headings with a view to expanding, interacting and maximising the potential in all of those areas?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My general policy on the arts, culture and the creative industry is to promote and strengthen it, increase participation and to see what added value we can get for the economy. It would be easy at times such as this to look at all aspects of society from an economic perspective but I firmly believe that arts and culture, being a part of what we are, are of value in their own right. It is an added advantage that we are able to use it as a marketing tool for this country to attract people to come here and to be able to add, for example, not only to cultural tourism, but also to our film industry. I would be more than happy to do whatever it takes to strengthen and promote those sectors and industries. I will give it all my energy and all my interest.

Closer integration and co-operation between the various sectors is critical. Reference was made to that previously. Culture and arts cannot stand alone separate from tourism. The integration of those areas, especially in the regions, has significant potential. The same could be said of sport. We have seen the advances that have been made in golf tourism. There is more potential in that regard. The opening of the convention centre this year has great potential for business tourism. That is an area in which I foresee new opportunities attracting people. Some of the first conferences to be held there are in the medical sector and they tend to be big spenders.

Festivals have done significant work for communities. They are important for the domestic market, which is also important. The innovation that has been adopted by local communities around the country in creating festivals, which not only improve the spirit of their local areas but which attract people to them, has been admirable in recent years. My plan for each of the different sectors is to promote, support, encourage and increase participation, and to do it for its own sake and also for the purposes of strengthening that industry for the economy.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I was pleased to hear the Minister refer to sport because I felt it was being ever so slightly neglected within the portfolio. The question relates to culture and the impact it might have in terms of developing an interest in sport. It is clear that there is a significant cultural impact in terms of sport in this country not alone with our traditional sports, but on a wider scale. This country is recognised as a great sporting country. We punch well above our weight in many sports. That has significant potential not only for the economy, but in terms of our profile aboard as a sporting country.

To return to culture, I was pleased to hear the Minister say it is not just about economics, that we have to look at the societal aspect of culture as well, which is clearly of great importance. In an article by Mr. Fintan O'Toole, which the Minister might have read during the week, he referred to the west. I put it to the Minister that there is a job of work to be done. He said that at the moment the west is not translating its magnetic cultural image into the creation of such a region. He considers the impact of creativity. He indicates that in London one job in seven is in the creative sector. In New England in the United States, one job in 25 is in the creative sector while in the west it is one in 33. Purely from the point of view of the economy, the message is that there is significant potential in terms of opportunities for the creation of more jobs. I do not say that is the only purpose of it. There is the intrinsic value of culture and of the merit of the west as an example in its own right. It is one that has an opportunity that can be developed and promoted.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In his article Mr. Fintan O'Toole recognised that I am the Minister for everything that is important to us. He is probably right in that. What Deputy Upton said about sport is correct. My answer was so long that I did not read it all. Thomond Park, Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium, which will open on 14 May, are three major centres of sport that have the potential to attract a significant number of visitors to the country. I accept that we have not fully capitalised on the employment potential but recent successes in the creative industry, for example, with the Oscars, are drawing attention to Ireland. Successes include the Irish Film Board's attracting of "The Tudors" and "Camelot" to Ireland.

The appointment of Gabriel Byrne as cultural ambassador is another case in point. All these examples serve to market Ireland and challenge us to respond. They challenge the west and every other part of the country to respond to the marketing initiative and the good press we receive. They challenge us to offer good value, which is now available in Ireland, to ensure there is good quality and high standards and to maintain them at this difficult time for the sector. The potential is great and I will be working on the means by which we capitalise on it with all the relevant groups.