Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

Will the Leader invite to the Seanad the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, who has not been here yet? There was much chat and abuse last week about Cork but I visited the new Cork School of Music two weeks ago where the €60 million investment therein is a credit to everybody involved. Will the Leader ask that there be such a school for every county?

I want the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism invited to the House to discuss investment in the arts. The Arts Bill, passed some years ago, proposed a sub-committee on traditional arts. It published a report and €3 million was made available for the traditional arts. Subsequently a sub-committee was formed to evaluate the role of the arts in education, on foot of which evaluation a report was to be presented by May 2007. I believe it has been completed and it is time that it was circulated. It is time that arts education in general received the kind of boost received through the investment in Cork School of Music and other activities.

I asked the Leader last week about having a debate on workplace bullying. Since there were many requests last week, I am not sure everything was written down and therefore want to reiterate my point.

I add my voice to that of Senator Ó Domhnaill in condemning all the brutal killings that are taking place. There was talk last week about the fact that we have moved on and it was stated there were threats from extremists. We should have moved on from all the killings and murders and we must express our disgust at them.