John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank all our colleagues for their contributions to this wide-ranging, robust and honest debate, which has been important for the Minister of State to hear. We are very fortunate in the Seanad, and it is one of its strengths that the vocational skills and expertise of Members come to the fore at this time. We are very fortunate to have Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú, who heads up Comhaltas, one of our finest institutions, and Senator Fiach Mac Conghail, who is the head of another pillar of our cultural institutions, the Abbey Theatre. I love when Senator Ó Clochartaigh and Senator Ó Domhnaill contribute as Gaeilge, another cornerstone of our heritage and our culture. I must also mention Senator Susan O'Keeffe's contribution about the fantastic Yeats programme.

No one has a monopoly or absolute ownership of the arts and heritage. Our cultural legacy is wide-ranging and it goes ó ghluain go gluain, into every household in the country, and it belongs to all our citizens. The debate was by its nature broad-ranging and expansive. The Minister of State's remit covers a wide spectrum from bogs to books and everything in between. Every single institution deserves high praise and has to be given as many resources as we can afford. The genesis of this motion came from Senator Denis Landy, whose primary concern was the National Library of Ireland and the National Archives. He was so disturbed by what he saw that he moved the Private Members' motion. I asked him to expand the motion to include other institutions, and it has given the House the opportunity to have an extensive debate. Senator Landy is unavoidably absent today.

The Minister of State was not invited to the House to be praised by Senators but, rather, so that we could respectfully challenge him to address the draconian cuts in the arts, heritage and cultural sector. We are all aware of the cuts and we will not pretend that everything is fine. Currently, only 1% of the National Library of Ireland collection is adequately conserved and protected. It is operating with ten staff, and they cannot deal with all the demands imposed on them with such a staffing level. The same applies in other institutions. I was delighted that the Minister of State spent so much time in his comprehensive address to the House on the issue of biodiversity and habitats, which is another contrasting part of his remit.This is an issue that is very near and dear to my own heart. I will hold the Minister to coming back to me with regard to the EU habitats directive and the role she and her Department have in that. I do not know whether I want to place the burden of the future of the freshwater pearl mussel solely in the Minister's hands, but I hope we will not find ourselves in the position that the only place we can see this species and others is in museums. It is important that we put as much emphasis on our natural heritage resources, habitats, species and wildlife as on our built and cultural heritage, all of which are well recorded in song and verse and on stage and screen. I thank all our colleagues for their contributions and the Minister for taking the motion in the spirit in which it was intended and addressing it in such a thorough fashion. We will continue to challenge the Minister and the Government to restore the funding and resourcing of all the areas that fall within the remit of the Minister's expansive portfolio across arts, culture and heritage.