Results 241-260 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Performing Arts (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: In 2010, Opera Ireland will get â¬1.62 million and OTC will get â¬643,000, for a combined total of â¬2.263 million. It is my intention that the Arts Council will continue to fund OTC next year. As the Deputy noted, the company staged a considerable number of performances in a variety of venues. In 2009 alone it staged 42 performances in 28 venues to a live audience of 15,800. That is...
- Performing Arts (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: So says the Leas-Cheann Comhairle as we look forward to the opening of the Wexford Festival Opera this weekend. It is in no way affected by any of these discussions. They do things differently in Wexford.
- Performing Arts (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: Go raibh maith agat. It is very important that a new venture have the artistic and creative ability to provide a programme that supports young Irish artists and singers and which can gain international recognition. To do that, it must have proper staffing and an artistic director, in addition to a very good board and funding. In anticipation of the fact that no major programme will be...
- City of Literature Designation (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: The plans to celebrate the designation of Dublin as UNESCO City of Literature are anchored by Dublin City Council. My Department is represented on the steering committee, as are a number of the arts, culture and tourism agencies under its aegis. As Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, I was very pleased that Dublin was honoured in this way and that the city council's application to...
- City of Literature Designation (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I appreciate what the Deputy is saying about the importance of having permanent exhibitions. The Yeats exhibition is a great success. It would be desirable to have a location for a permanent Joyce exhibition. We can investigate that. One reason Dublin was designated was that its literature was not confined to a museum or one location and was a living part of the of the city. That so many...
- City of Literature Designation (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I did not say it was on the websites but that it was being promoted as part of tourism promotion. At various events and conferences, I and others have highlighted the fact that the City of Literature status is a means of attracting visitors. Dublin Tourism, which is part of the network of tourism agencies, is promoting the concept. I foresee great opportunities next year under Culture...
- City of Literature Designation (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: We can certainly discuss with the Director of the National Library of Ireland the possibility of having a more permanent Joyce exhibition in addition to the Yeats exhibition. It can also be discussed with the committee on which we are working.
- Artists' Tax Exemption (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: The artists' exemption was introduced in 1969 to create an environment in which the arts could flourish. In 2007, a restriction was applied to the scheme which capped the relief at â¬250,000 per annum. In 2009, the Commission on Taxation recommended the abolition of the exemption. As a result, the scheme was reviewed following which the Minister for Finance announced in last December's...
- Artists' Tax Exemption (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: No.
- Artists' Tax Exemption (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I did not say the amount would be reviewed again this year. I said that tax expenditures generally were being reviewed by the Minister for Finance. I do not think he intends to review the artists' tax exemption. The limit of â¬125,000 was set in last year's budget. As I stated, 82% of people who benefit from the tax exemption earn â¬40,000 per annum or less. The â¬125,000 limit was put...
- Artists' Tax Exemption (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: We do not want to do that as this is a good, internationally recognised scheme. It is one of the areas in respect of which I would suggest it is best to let the hare sit.
- Artists' Tax Exemption (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I will not get into determining what is literature and what is not. Other issues that arose include whether if something is fixed, it attaches VAT attachment and so on. The tax exemption scheme is good and we are anxious that it would continue.
- Arts and Cultural Facilities Audit (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: In 2008, my Department commenced an audit of sports facilities at local level in line with a commitment in the programme for Government. The audit was carried out with the assistance of local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. At the time it was decided to take the opportunity to gather information on publicly funded arts and community...
- Arts and Cultural Facilities Audit (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I can understand why it would take so long to collate information in regard to schools because there are 4,000 of them. I do not understand, however, why it took the council so long to collate information on art and culture facilities of which there are only 33. From an arts point of view, we will not have a complete picture because the council will deal only with local authority funded...
- Abbey Theatre (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 27 together. The renewed programme for Government commits us to a detailed assessment of the GPO complex in the context of locating the Abbey Theatre there in time for the centenary of the 1916 Rising. The development of a new national theatre project is a not a simple undertaking. There is a matrix of technical, procedural and legal factors to...
- Abbey Theatre (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: Seamus Brennan also gave consideration to it.
- Abbey Theatre (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: I am probably the fifth Minister to be involved with the project.
- Abbey Theatre (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: The difficulty with this project is that it does not merely involve a simple question as to whether it is feasible to relocate the Abbey Theatre to the GPO building. If we receive a report which indicates that it is feasible to do so, the next question we must contemplate is whether we wish to proceed. I would welcome the views of other Members in respect of that matter. We want to find...
- Abbey Theatre (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: Let us be under no illusions. Relocating the Abbey Theatre would cost a significant amount of money. However, if this is the correct thing to do - obviously any move would have to be considered in the context of the state of the public finances - then we should proceed. I am of the view that this issue is much larger than mere planning or logistics considerations. We cannot consider the...
- Abbey Theatre (14 Oct 2010)
Mary Hanafin: It would ill become me to come between Ulick O'Connor and Senator Norris. To date, â¬393,509.62 has been paid out by the Department in respect of the design, engineering, architectural, financial and legal fees relating to the new Abbey Theatre project. The majority of this expenditure is project as opposed to site specific. Irrespective of what development takes place in respect of the...