Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in the welcome and good wishes extended to the Minister.

I thank Fianna Fáil for tabling the motion. There might have been an element of mischief making, as some people have indicated, but it has given an opportunity for many people who are deeply involved in the arts, for many decades, to outline their vision for the arts and the importance of the arts. The Minister, in her speech tonight, clearly laid out her vision for arts in Ireland and recognised the huge contribution that the arts community makes to this country.

I shall take up the issue raised by Senator Barrett. He said that he was not present for the Minister's speech. He will be pleased to learn that she has indicated she wishes to make the arts more accessible to everybody and accessibility will be the cornerstone of her Ministry. Immersing school students in the arts, through a targeted strategy, will benefit future generations and give young people a greater understanding and appreciation for the arts as they progress to adulthood. The Minister's discussions with the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, have been productive and will, no doubt, lead to many more young people getting involved in the arts at a young age.

In preparation for tonight's debate I looked through a number of figures. I was pleased to discover that despite savage cuts, which were necessary, to all budgets in recent years that over €0.5 billion has been allocated to the arts and cultural institutions and the film board since 2011. As I perused the figures I recognised many organisations have received significant contributions. An organisation that was very much in the news recently, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, received funding of just under €5 million last year and had 121,000 visitors. That means taxpayers subsidised each visitor to the tune of €38 per head. I am sure that level of investment was well deserved. Members of the board should look at how visitor numbers can be significantly increased to reduce that level of subsidy.