Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I echo the fine compliments that have been made about the Minister, Deputy Deenihan. Will he consider using his influence to ensure that out-of-work actors and those in the artistic community in general are treated a little more sympathetically by the Department of Social Protection, particularly in seeking benefits, because of the nature of their work? These people are not technically available for work in the real sense and the issue is an ongoing sore. Perhaps the Minister could use his influence in that regard?

Will the Minister consider encouraging RTE and TV3 to produce more costume drama to reflect our Irish culture, much of which he has contributed to today? This is in the context of "Downton Abbey", the costume series which won seven Emmy awards last Monday and is a worldwide hit. It is bringing in enormous sums not to the BBC but ITV, which is a commercial channel. As a result, it is now almost guaranteed that ITV will spend more on television drama.

In supporting the local community arts activities we must ring-fence funding for local arts activities. What are the Minister's thoughts on how to attract more film and television productions to Ireland? They contribute enormously to local communities. Does the Irish Film Board require more resources to become more proactive in bringing this type of business to Ireland?