Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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1. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions he has taken to enhance inter-departmental co-operation in the arts; the way he has sought to engage more young persons in the arts; if he has discussed with the Department of Education and Skills the possibility of integrating the arts further into the primary and secondary school curriculums; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18130/14]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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This question is straightforward as it seeks to establish from the Minister what is being done to target the audience of between 800,000 and 1 million young people and encourage them to have a greater interest and focus on the arts. In particular, what is being done by the Department to engage with the Department of Education and Skills to encourage more formal activation by the Department in its curriculum development both at primary and post-primary levels?

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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In January 2013, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and I jointly launched the arts in education charter. This charter places new responsibilities on Departments, agencies, cultural institutions and arts organisations to provide and promote arts education to children and young people. The charter will facilitate organisations like the Arts Council, the national cultural institutions, the colleges of education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment working with both Departments in order to bring the arts into the classroom and learners into the institutes for the arts.

A high-level implementation group, chaired by Professor John Coolahan, professor emeritus at NUI Maynooth, was established to oversee the implementation of the arts in education charter. Its membership includes the director of the Arts Council, a representative of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick and senior officials from my Department and the Department of Education and Skills. The group has been meeting regularly and has been proactive in meeting organisations from both the arts and education sectors. It presented its first formal report to the Minister, Deputy Quinn, and myself on 3 September 2013 and its second on 9 April 2014.

Progress is being made on a number of initiatives, including engagement with the wider education agenda through participation in key events and conferences; ongoing dialogue with the national cultural institutions, and particularly with the education, community and outreach grouping; engagement on the development of collaborative partnerships between strategic groups such as the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the Arts Council; gathering of information on research that has been undertaken with a relevance to arts education and arts in education; development of a website as a key communications and information channel for both the education and arts sectors; development of proposals for an arts-rich schools scheme to raise interest among school communities in cultivating the arts as a desired feature of school life and for artists to become involved in the programme; and consideration of the best means of providing updated information and guidance on arts-in-education activities. My Department, together with the Department of Education and Skills, plans to hold a joint symposium next month to further contribute to and enhance the engagement and working relationships between the higher education and the arts sectors.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister as his response is very positive. I am glad he is taking that proactive approach and we all accept that increasing the level of interest in the arts among young people in general but specifically in schools is of enormous importance. We know from visits to primary schools the significant amount of work being done by teachers there, with visible evidence of an interest in the arts and its activities. There is possibly less evidence of that in some post-primary schools, and the appointment of somebody of the stature of Professor Coolahan is most welcome, as he brings a reputation in the education area that will enhance the sort of endeavour outlined by the Minister. The Minister should be commended but the area needs further energy and some further expenditure.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the Deputy's comments about Professor Coolahan, who accepted the position of chair of the implementation group on condition that this initiative would be taken very seriously and not just another publication. He wants the recommendations in the charter to be implemented and I am very pleased with the outcomes to date. The web portal to be set up will be very important, and according to Professor Coolahan this could be something of major international significance. I acknowledge the work of the implementation group for the charter on arts in education, as well as the work of the Minister for Education and Skills, who has appointed Dr. Brigid Sweeney, who has a background in arts and education, to co-ordinate the response in his Department. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, is very enthusiastic about this aspect.

There is a very strong case to be made for promoting arts in education in the broader community from the perspective of developing more creative thinkers among young people and helping them to become better at problem solving. There is a direct connection between the arts and these issues.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Minister prepared to move to formalise the advisory role of the Arts Council to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment? Is he prepared to establish an advisory role for the national cultural institutions so their expertise can feed into the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment? These matters must be undertaken with the Minister for Education and Skills. It is very important that we consider building on co-operation from the arts charter, set up as a dedicated national arts and education development unit. That would bear real fruit.

Is the Minister prepared to cost and consider the implementation of the recommendations of the 1979 Arts Council review to increase music provision in primary schools? There is very often great disappointment felt by parents that music is not a far more prominent part of the local curriculum at primary level. The idea of providing temporary teachers to provide such a service could be advanced.

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Ó Fearghaíl made a number of suggestions which I will certainly take on board and have discussed by the implementation group to see if they can fit into its remit. Great progress is being made promoting music in schools. In many cases, it is done by outside agencies and I would like to recognise the work of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, for example, which has a very proactive and successful programme in schools. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann has a programme in my local school and all the pupils from second class to sixth class learn how to master instruments, and by sixth class, some of them can master five instruments. That is just an example of how one organisation is having a profound impact on schools. In many counties, there are county schools of music, which are also very effective. There is also what is contained in the education curriculum. Much is happening in regard to music but I agree with the Deputy that it is to be hoped more will happen in future.