Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. We are not large in numbers this afternoon but we are here to support the passage of the legislation and ensure the Irish film industry will continue to progress. It is fair to say that the Minister brings to his Department a great sense of enthusiasm and drive, which is required not just in his Department but across all Departments. If we want to turn the Irish economy and society around and produce hope and the jobs that are required, a new type of thinking and level of enthusiasm is required throughout the Departments of State. The Minister's enthusiastic approach to his portfolio is very welcome and will produce results in his area. I hope that will spread throughout Government thinking.

The Minister would fully acknowledge that Ireland is not and will not ever be Hollywood but we can be Bollywood. There was a time when a country such as India would not have been known for film-making expertise or the export of films across the world. India set certain targets, funded them and achieved results, and we can do likewise. The Irish people are among the most literary and cultured peoples of the world. One can list the great poets, scholars and musicians of Ireland, and the list is almost endless. In that regard it is rather surprising that we have never been at the top of the league for film production. I hope that as a result of this legislation we can continue to make the levels of progress that have been made recently. Much more needs to be done. We must set very high targets and we can achieve them.

I mentioned India in passing but I am no expert on the Indian film industry. We could also learn much from Australia. There was a time up to the early 1970s when there was no Australian film industry but as a result, I presume, of Government initiatives, policies, drive and finance, the Australian film and television drama industry took off. In early or mid 1980s we lived with one or two channels on television and there was a lovely television drama called "All the Rivers Run". It gave me a significant interest in Australian life, culture and scenery, and it shows what film can do.

The Minister's speech was very interesting, with one line summing up what he, his Department and this Bill are about. The Minister mentioned that according to Fáilte Ireland figures, "20% of all tourists who visited Ireland in 2010 did so because of images of Ireland they saw on film". That is an impressive, interesting and challenging figure. If we increase film production and the selling of Ireland through cinema, television and drama, we will increase tourist numbers significantly. We debated tourism in the House yesterday, with many of us making the point that it is one of few industries where jobs can be created instantly. If we can marry the efforts of the Minister in this Department with those in the Department responsible for tourism, we can certainly make the type of progress required. We have moved in the right direction but there is a long way to go.

We must look at specific opportunities. The previous speaker mentioned "Strumpet City" and I recollect that drama. Perhaps it could be revisited, especially as we come to what some people wish to call the 1916 commemoration and others want to call the decade of commemorations. I will not get excited about that argument but there are many major historical moments that will bring reflection and commemoration over the next few years. Television and film will have a major role to play in bringing those events to life.

I was at a meeting earlier this afternoon unrelated to this Bill and which concerned education matters. The point was made by one or two of those present that there are moves afoot in the Department of Education and Skills to slim down the teaching of history in schools. It was news to me and I was disappointed to hear it. If history is slimmed down in our education, film could play a significant role in ensuring we do not forget who we are, where we are from or what we are about. The 1916 Rising and the lock-out could be effectively examined by way of television drama and film. If one had a limitless budget, I am sure the First World War and the history of Irish people serving abroad at the time could be the subject of a drama because it is such a complex story. We need the funding and people in place and we must formulate ideas. There is an opportunity to marry tourism, education, history and film in one jigsaw. I know the Minister is thinking in that direction and I wish him well.

When I turned on the radio yesterday morning in time for the news at 9 a.m., one of the lead stories was about Ashford Castle in Mayo going into receivership. The presenter did not say that the hotel in Cong, County Mayo, had gone into receivership and instead the description was that it was the hotel which featured in "The Quiet Man". It is amazing to think that after so many years, that hotel and region strikes a chord and has a resonance because of that film. "The Quiet Man" and "Ryan's Daughter", which, like Senator Ó Murchú, I saw recently, or "The Field" have a profoundly important place in our culture, history, geography, job creation and the selling of Ireland abroad. We must build them as best we can and I am confident the Minister is thinking along those lines.

There is a tremendous number of jobs in the film industry, for example. We will not replay the presidential election - Senator O'Keeffe supported President Higgins strongly during the campaign - but President Higgins presented the argument many times during the election campaign that he worked as a Minister for culture, with jobs created in the film industry. The figure mentioned struck a chord because it is surprising to see such a substantial number. We must build on that work.

The Ballyfermot film college and other outlets provide a great opportunity for young people to take up jobs, and people can become actors, extras in a film and scriptwriters. They have potential in many spheres.

I very much welcome the Bill. It is part of an exciting script, if one will excuse the pun, in the Minister's Department where one can start with a fairly blank page and set one's own agenda. Obviously, we require money and we all appreciate it is fairly tight at the moment. However, money has never been the total problem as far as this industry is concerned. It is a question of vision, leadership, support and prompting, and I know the Minister will not be found wanting in that regard.

I wish the Minister well with the passage of this Bill and I hope the result in the weeks, months and years ahead will not just be Academy Awards for Irish actors, directors and film producers but jobs, advertising revenue, promotion of Ireland and reflection on our history, culture and strengths as a people. That is what the Bill can help sustain and promote.