Mary Moran (Labour)

I welcome the Minister to the House this evening and congratulate the Independent Senators and Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú on their contributions. We should all feel honoured by the contributions to the arts and our country, and I know Senator Ó Murchú in particular has been involved with traditional Irish music. As a former teacher of music, his work is widely known and appreciated in the music field. Senator Mac Conghail has done outstanding work in the Abbey theatre.

From a Labour perspective we must consider the amendment put forward. It is clear from the contributions in this debate that we are all acutely aware of the immense importance of the arts in the cultural life of the country. Ireland can be justly proud of our long history of cultivating support and promoting the arts, and we all recognise that even in times of economic downturn, maintaining this support is essential.

We have seen that this sector is expanding, providing employment, attracting investment, raising our country's profile abroad and bringing tourists to our shores in significant numbers. Senator van Turnhout mentioned the Titanic Quarter and I visited it last Saturday. The cultural and tourist opportunities it has provided are immense. The Government is committed to supporting the Irish national cultural institutions and acknowledges the tremendous work that has been achieved. It is also committed to implementing public service reform as outlined in the programme for Government, and there can be little doubt that the sharing of services, such as information technology, human resources, marketing and procurement will lead to savings and efficiencies. We are the custodians of our heritage and have a duty to ensure the millions of people home and abroad who want to immerse themselves in our heritage get the service they want and deserve.