Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

I make the point in almost every arts related speech I make that I am very conscious that an estimated 50,000 people are involved or employed in different arts organisations. There is not a community in the country I have encountered in any town of any size that does not have many different arts activities. More than half our tourism industry is what one might call culturally related, including heritage. There are countries in Europe that may understand better than we do the economic importance of the arts from an employment and tourism industry point of view. It also has an effect on people's morale and sense of identity, which is very important. There is a better understanding of that than was the case 20 or 30 years ago, but considerable further progress remains to be made. One still hears voices, political and otherwise, talking about the arts as if they were an optional extra. They are very much not an optional extra. They are needed as an integral part of national life.