Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House for this important debate. It is part of our make-up and psyche that we all share such an enthusiasm for the arts. Our cultural institutions are of major importance to our national heritage. I have great time for the Independent Senators and salute everything Senator Fiach Mac Conghail has done in the Abbey Theatre. The Abbey has put on great shows over the years and we are proud of it. However, I find it amusing, if not rich, that the Independent Senators have tabled this motion. I was interested to hear the Minister put on record both in the other House and again in this Chamber this evening how much the Abbey is receiving. It is important to note it is in receipt of one tenth of the Department's capital budget and one ninth of the Arts Council's budget. I am sure the Independent Senators recognise the huge goodwill the Minister has for the arts. While I accept everything that has been said, especially by Senator Ó Murchú, Members should be closing ranks. In this Minister, they have a man who is a safe pair of hands and who has operated with an open door policy at all times.

As for curatorial and programming independence, he has guaranteed it. He merely is talking about back office administrative functions in this regard, and there can be economies of scale in respect of human resources, information technology, payroll and procurement. There is no harm in any of that and great good could emerge in having a pooling of resources. One cannot escape the fact of the nation's finances, which is the reason I agree so much with Senator Ó Murchú. One must be careful as there is such a tremendous image abroad for which these national cultural institutions are in their own way responsible. If I may joke slightly about it, the Minister would not drop the ball, and I salute that. Members are aware of this man's commitment. They all wish to optimise funding and all are aware of the severe difficulties we face. There is nothing to fear, once we steady ourselves, as the Government is managing scarce resources well and will continue to so do. The Minister continues to be completely open and again gave a guarantee in this regard this evening. While I was saddened that Professor Diarmaid Ferriter chose to resign from the board of one institution, as the Minister noted he has remained on the board of the other, which is good. People of his calibre should continue to make themselves available and should be prepared to enter into consultation.

Many worthwhile and sensible points have been made in the Chamber this evening-----