Fiach MacConghail (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is building a strong reputation. I give him credit for taking the political lead on philanthropy. Whether we call it philanthropy, giving or supporting, it is something that should be considered as a strong legacy. I do not say the Minister is going anywhere soon, but he should consider it in that way. He has shown courage and moved the agenda forward. He listened to people involved in the industry. The reason I say this - Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú might concur with me - is that we plough a lonely furrow. I am just back from the United States where I was fund-raising for the weekend. I am going back on Sunday for ten days to meet people.

What we sometimes lack is the public congratulations, not to the Abbey Theatre or Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann but the people who give money, and a governmental acknowledgement, whether it is inserted in a speech or mentioned otherwise. That is of benefit because it endorses a culture and what we are talking about is a cultural shift not only when it comes to giving 1% but also to the Diaspora. We are aware that through the Global Irish Economic Forum there are a lot of significant members of the Diaspora and also friends of Ireland who want to support us, not necessarily in a transactional way such that in giving something they get something back but on an emotional level. There is nothing stronger than public commendation, public praise or an acknowledgement. That would help people such as me. For instance, I am going to Boston next weekend. We will have the great privilege of meeting Thomas O'Neill, son of Tip O'Neill, who is the president of The Abbey Theatre Foundation chapter in Boston. He is hosting a dinner which I will attend for 30 potential prospects for us in Boston. The Government can support us without putting its hand in its pocket by endorsing us. One of the recommendations that emerged from the Global Irish Economic Forum two weeks ago was a simple one, namely, that if trade delegations or Ministers travel abroad, they should ask the Arts Council, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann or the Abbey Theatre whether we have an interest in these cities because there is nothing like a Minister, not just the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht or the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade but any Minister, acknowledging the connections for cultural, sports or social activity in which we are involved in the United States because that increases leverage. It makes sense.

People give money and that can actually cause leverage for us to create employment and, more important in terms of my business, improve access to culture and the arts and further the right of citizens to gain access to the arts for as little money as possible, or none.

Let me outline what is interesting about the differences between Ireland and the United States. In Ireland, corporate giving is actually quite strong. In fairness to the corporate companies here, the level is quite high. The challenge concerns individual giving. As Senator Zappone asked, how can we encourage people to become more strategic in their giving, be it through direct donations or volunteering. We need to encourage not only a cultural change but also a more mature approach.

I welcome the measures in this year's Finance Bill to simplify the tax incentive for charity donations. We operate in a declining public funding environment in which the cumulative effect of yearly decreases in funding is taking hold. The cultural shift that the Minister is spearheading is one that I acknowledge wholeheartedly.

One of the recommendations of the report of the forum, which Senator Zappone mentioned, was for a yearly increase of 10%. We must be careful that the Minister is not hoisted with his own petard regarding a particular figure. The target is far too ambitious and not based on specific data. We are missing data. Senator O'Brien will outline how we can try to have a baseline regarding data and the number of charities so we will be able to be clear about this. We must tie in metrics as we do not have accurate data. By way of support, I caution the Minister not to repeat the 10% target year on year. By 2016, we are talking about a 60% increase, up to roughly €800 million. That is a very ambitious target. I deal with ambitious targets in that I have raised €800,000 already this year through private giving. Having targets and being realistic are separate, however. We need to communicate that better so the Minister will not be put in a position in which he must defend an approach that is still not sufficiently accurate.

This week is Best Will in the World Week, a week in which people are encouraged to leave some funding in their legacy. This is an area of future growth. Some might find the subject too delicate and sensitive. The Abbey Theatre benefited twice from it. One of our former artistic directors, Lennox Robinson, left the rights of all his plays to the Abbey Theatre when he died. Therefore, the Abbey Theatre makes money as a consequence. George Bernard Shaw is an extraordinary example. He left one third of the royalties from his plays to the National Gallery of Ireland. When we put on "Major Barbara" this summer, a significant proportion of the money made at the box office went to the National Gallery of Ireland. That is really smart move. There are very inventive ways of leaving a legacy.

I congratulate the Minister and support Senator Zappone's question. We must ensure the metrics are right. How can we evaluate the success of the campaign? While the aspiration is correct, we need actual figures by which to assess the campaign, which I believe will be a success. I have one small concern, based on data reported to us. The One Percent Difference website had 25,300 unique visitors but only 722 clicked onto a cause. That is somewhat disappointing. We need to be clear on the metrics so we can actually share the legacy of success in a couple of years.