John Ellis (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Martin Mansergh, to the House and to wish him well in his new and very responsible position as Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works. He is the person who will be responsible for much of the Government investment during the years ahead. I have no doubt that his stewardship will not be found wanting in any way because his practical experience as adviser to various Taoisigh will stand to him when it comes to dealing with the problems associated with being in the OPW.

The Minister of State outlined the proud history of the Abbey Theatre as the National Theatre. Its establishment was the first move in the attempt to bury political divisions and it made a significant contribution in that regard. It also provided the first opportunity for some of our greatest people such as Synge and O'Casey and later, John B. Keane and others, who have made significant contributions to theatre in this country. I remember the rural halls where plays were performed on Sunday nights during Lent. These were the plays which had been performed previously in the Abbey Theatre and they were performed by people in our own community. We all have fond memories of those performances, similar to Senator Donohoe's memories of the Peacock Theatre. Some of these local people were excellent actors but they were amateurs who rather than act professionally wanted to remain as amateurs and they regarded acting as a hobby. They made a significant contribution to the community.

Senator Donohoe referred to the number of small new theatres dotted around the country in the most unusual places. Some of them are making a significant contribution to the cultural life of the areas in which they are located. Some people may not believe this but County Leitrim with a population of 30,000 has three theatres, one in Carrickallen, one in Carrick-on-Shannon and one in Manorhamilton. Their productions are an asset to their local communities and they become focal points for the community and for those who want to be involved in cultural and arts events.

I can understand Senator Donohoe's preference for moving the Abbey to the top of O'Connell Street rather than to the designated site in the docklands. There is a certain merit in his suggestion. However if we go looking for a site at the top of O'Connell Street, our successors in 20 years' time will be still talking about it. The one advantage for the Abbey now is that a designated site is available for the project. Let us ensure this building is so well designed that it will be on every postcard and every representation of Dublin. Like the Sydney Opera House, it should attract international respect as a feature of the community. Some people might argue that a time limit should be placed on this project but time limits are dangerous. If it runs one day over time somebody will be shouting "You're late", but it is more important that the project should be right.

Some 15 different groups are involved in examining the design project, which will provide a wealth of opportunity to the assessment board. It will prove that whoever wins this competition will have designed what is accepted by everybody as being the best symbol for this city.

We must also ensure that the funding is properly managed because we saw slight problems regarding funding for the Abbey over the years. In future, the board must take a lot of responsibility for how the theatre is run. In saying that, I am not being critical of previous Abbey boards. No one wishes to see a situation, which developed before, where questions are raised. People of the highest integrity were challenged for the wrong reasons and in some cases for personal reasons. We want to ensure that does not happen again.

We should examine whether we can widen the Abbey's remit to give young people the opportunity to become involved in the theatre. The list of those who progressed through the Abbey and made it onto the world stage is phenomenal. The international success of former Abbey actors is acknowledged and appreciated by everyone. I hope that opportunities will be given to young people, especially those now leaving various colleges, to enable them to move further up in the acting world. I also hope the Abbey will have a direct policy of giving opportunities to emerging playwrights. It might not be any harm to include in any future control parameters, the commissioning of a minimum of ten new plays per year. That figure may sound high, but if one can get ten new playwrights contributing work to the Abbey one would be doing exceptionally well. New playwrights need to reach the big stage in order to establish a national reputation. In Ireland, the biggest stage is the Abbey's.

I encourage the Minister of State to complete this project as quickly as possible. If feasible, time limits should be set for the submission of project plans. When one design is finally accepted, a further time limit should be put on its completion. Those in charge of PPPs know that the sooner they get the doors open, the sooner they begin to get some return on their investment. That aspect is imperative, so I ask the Minister of State to take that course.