Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. Tá lúcháir orm a bheith anseo tráthnóna le cupla focal a rá ar an ábhar thábhachtach seo. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a thabhairt dos na Seanadóirí Neamhspleácha, the Independent Senators, for tabling this important motion. We are living in constrained economic times. Sometimes, however, society must weigh up what it believes in and where it has come from to ensure we do not abandon our ethos, culture and identity, in other words, who we are as a people. I have the utmost regard for the Minister and I do not propose to fall out with him.

Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú summed up the issue well when he noted the purpose of this debate was not to make political points but to discuss an important aspect of Irishness and who we are and where we come from. As a small country on the periphery of Europe, what sets us apart from our nearest neighbours across the water is our cultural identity, namely, our language, dance, song and music, as well as our cultural institutions which are headed up by people of world renown, including Senator Fiach Mac Conghail who moved the motion. It is important to make this point and recognise the work of all those engaged in a voluntary or professional capacity in the arts and heritage sector. They encapsulate what it is we want to promote in terms of being Irish, including our culture and heritage, both in this State and on the island, for the benefit of Irish people and those throughout the world who have Irish links. Cultural tourism is a major element of this work. Regardless of where one is in the world, when people hear one is Irish, they tell stories about Riverdance or visiting the National Museum or one of our theatres in Dublin.

The Minister is in a very important Department and plays a major role at Cabinet level. At a time of recession and economic challenges to the Government, it is tempting to pick the low-lying fruit. Sport and the arts are sometimes considered areas where money can be saved, but this is not always the right thing to do. We should not always view everything in an economic context or tick boxes for the purposes of reducing expenditure.

My party supports the Minister in his endeavours at Cabinet level to protect the independent status of the national cultural institutions, which was first recognised in the Arts Act of 2003. We are almost ten years down that road. It was important to provide the institutions with independent status and a separate identity, latitude and freedom from party politics and ministerial and departmental interference, although "interference" may be too strong a word. This independence has served the country well in the past decade.

I do not support the proposal to merge An Coimisinéir Teanga with the Office of the Ombudsman. None of these organisations should be merged. Individuals from the arts, culture and heritage sectors have pointed out such mergers have given rise to additional costs in other countries. In the case of Canada, for example, the exchequer incurred additional costs of €15 million. While merging organisations may look well and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform may argue it will save money, this approach does not always work. Before pursuing this option, all potential mergers, whether they have been announced or may be planned in future, should be the subject of a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. International best practice suggests we should maintain the independent identity of institutions that are vital to the State, not only in these times of economic challenges. In ten, 20, 30 or 40 years, when some of us will be long gone, these institutions must work for our people to protect national identity and cultural values and safeguard our cultural future. This is the approach advocated in the motion and I commend the Independent Senators on identifying it.

The Minister referred to Professor Diarmaid Ferriter who resigned from the board of the National Library of Ireland in protest at the manner in which the cultural institutions were being treated. Notwithstanding the Minister's argument that consultations are taking place, as the motion correctly notes, the arts, heritage and culture sectors do not believe it is sufficiently meaningful. Perhaps the issue could be revisited.