Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Today is Bloomsday, 16 June. It is the annual occasion when Ireland celebrates its giant of Irish literature, James Joyce. The celebration was begun in the 1950s by a number of Joycean scholars and enthusiasts to commemorate the famous day in 1904 when Leopold Bloom, the hero of Ulysses, Joyce's most famous work, spent the entire day walking around the streets of Dublin. It is also the day when Joyce first walked out with Nora Barnacle, the love of his life and the woman with whom he went into exile and married. In 1924, some 20 years after that occasion, Joyce wrote, "Today is 16 June 1924, 20 years after. Will anyone remember this date?". Of course, they did.

The celebration of this iconic day now takes place in more than 16 countries annually. It starts with a Joycean breakfast of "inner organs of beasts and fowls, including grilled mutton kidneys with a fine tang of faintly scented urine". There are readings and productions of Joyce's works and tours throughout the city of Dublin. Tonight, for example, I will be attending a Joycean music and song festival in the Teachers' Club in Parnell Square. Deputy Ferris tells me there is a day-long festival in Bray, which she will be going to after this. I am sure every Deputy, particularly in Dublin, will have various events where there are celebrations of Joyce's works.

Yesterday in the Mansion House, I attended the presentation of the most valuable literary prize in the world. The IMPAC award was presented to Colm McCann. This is done largely through the good offices of Dublin City Council, which is very supportive of literature and the arts. Last year, Dublin was designated a UNESCO city of literature, which is a permanent designation. Dublin is home to many great writers, as is the entire country. Ireland has a rich tradition of writing.

The extraordinary literary tradition of the country should be marked by an annual public holiday around which a major national and international festival of literature could be developed. We have only nine public holidays, the least number in Europe apart from England and Wales, which have eight. Germany, which is regarded as the work horse of Europe, has 14 public holidays for its citizens, yet it can produce a powerful economy. Northern Ireland has ten, including the rather questionable one on 12 July, which is hardly an inclusive public holiday for all citizens. A public holiday to celebrate our literary heritage could, in time, be extended to Northern Ireland, which has a rich literary tradition. This could become an all-island festival of literature and culture.

The idea of a public holiday on Bloomsday was first proposed by Joycean scholars in 2004, the centenary of Bloomsday. It is even more appropriate at this time. On 1 January 2012, the copyright restrictions on Joyce's works will expire and they will be readily accessible both to scholars and enthusiasts at no cost. There will be no charge on publications, performances, readings or adaptations of any of Joyce's works. That is a problem at present. This is an appropriate time to look at the breadth and scale of such an international festival and public holiday.

This would be an enormous attraction for scholars and students but also for ordinary tourists. Joyce has become a national brand. A literary festival of this nature would be of significant commercial value as well as fulfilling its main purpose of commemorating and celebrating our rich literary heritage and being an inspiration to future generations of writers.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Costello for raising this matter. He referred to Joyce as a national brand. I suspect that Deputy Costello may one day be regarded as a national brand himself.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The Minister is too kind.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I also wish all my colleagues a happy Bloomsday. I was able to take part in a Joycean event earlier today in St. Stephen's Green. It was fantastic to see so many people there. The green is looking at its best at this time of year. It is under the control of the Office of Public Works. Deputy Costello is absolutely right. This is a fantastic occasion to celebrate Irish literature throughout the world and particularly in Dublin.

I thank Deputy Costello for raising this matter. I acknowledge the international importance and recognition afforded to great Irish writers and, indeed, James Joyce is among these. Bloomsday is well recognised beyond these shores and internationally with the highlight of the Joycean year, of course, being the Bloomsday festival. The 2011 festival incorporates a large programme of events that commenced on 4 June leading up to today's celebrations.

Bloomsday has become a day on which fans of James Joyce celebrate the man and his unique skill as a wordsmith. The day has grown into a significant event for our capital city. Visitors from all over the world travel to Dublin to participate in the Bloomsday festival, to walk the streets like Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus.

This year, Bloomsday is a much more significant international event, with Dublin's designation as UNESCO City of Literature. Dublin is one of just four cities, worldwide, that has been, deservedly, awarded this designation. Dublin as a city of literature means offering a new, creative tourism that is all about encouraging visitors to experience the Irish literary life directly so that they can have an authentic engagement in the real cultural life of our city. For a short while many feel that they too are part and parcel of Dublin life.

On the particular issue of the designation of 16 June as a national holiday, the legislation which provides for public holidays is the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. This Act provides that certain days may be prescribed as public holidays. At present, there are nine public holidays, including the first Monday in June, in addition to statutory annual leave entitlements. Any proposal for the provision of an additional public holiday would require careful consideration. Not least we would need to consider the implications and impact of any such designation on employment and for the economy at large, in particular the extra costs it would impose on employers.

Were Bloomsday to be designated a public holiday - I stress no such designation is at this moment being contemplated - it would be necessary to undertake detailed and substantial consideration of issues arising, including wide-ranging consultations with relevant stakeholders. Among the matters to be considered would be the impact of any such increase in public holidays on the competitiveness of firms, in particular small and medium enterprises with smaller workforces, and in terms of output and the impact on employment. Proposals of this kind cannot be considered without regard to the wider interests of workers and the enterprises in which they are employed.

The proposal being made by the Deputy, involving a new and additionally designated national holiday, on an annual recurrent basis, would need serious examination and consideration on a wide number of fronts. For example, the selection of a particular day to be a public holiday would also need to be considered in the light of tradition, custom and practice in designating such days. This can be seen with St. Patrick's Day, which is of significant importance from both a national and international perspective. Any newly-designated national holiday would have to be measured against the substantial national and international status achieved by our current designated national holidays. In the current challenging economic circumstances, the matter of designation of an additional national holiday is not among the Government's priorities. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I expect it would probably require the agreement of the troika before moving on the issue.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The Minister of State will need to ensure it is on the agenda for the next meeting.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Indeed.