Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I indicated in the Dáil, I consider this Bill the most effective way of changing the board's name. It was the express wish of the board's former chair, the late Bill O'Herlihy, that its name should be changed. I promised Bill two weeks before his untimely death that I would do this because it was the right thing to do. I was pleased to have the opportunity to do so as part of this Bill. The board's full current name - Irish Film Board-Bord Scannán na hÉireann - is considered outdated when used in the international arena. The use of the word "film" in the title is considered limiting and the proposal to change the name to "Screen Ireland" or "Fís Éireann" will reflect the agency's broader remit for the promotion of Irish film, television and animation. The board is supportive of this change and I am glad to have been able to include it in the Bill.

I agree that the arts play an important role in our society. I was pleased to secure a 12% increase in my Department's budget for 2016. Further investment in the arts is necessary. As the economy continues to improve, I will fight the case for increased funding. The National Concert Hall will receive the same Exchequer allocation in 2016 as it did this year, which included an additional €100,000 increase. All cultural institutions will benefit from the additional funding that I secured for the 2016 commemoration programme.

I wish to reassure the Senator that there is no gagging of the CEO. It is a standard provision when the CEO appears before the Committee of Public Accounts that he or she cannot comment on Government policy.

Culture 2025 is the first cultural policy that we have formulated. I want it to imbed culture in the minds of the Government and the citizen alike. It will make culture a part of our daily language and form a greater part of our daily lives. Culture is intrinsically valuable to society and should be recognised as such. Culture 2025 will address the issue of volunteers.

The concert hall has a comprehensive outreach programme. I agree with Senator O'Keeffe that we need to broaden the role of the national institutions generally so as to extend their offering into the regions. Everything cannot be Dublin centric. The offering needs to get out to the regions and more rural areas.

Senator Eamonn Coghlan raised a number of issues. The hall has adopted a broad programming strategy to address some of them. Section 18(2) provides that the CEO will be appointed by the board with the approval of the Minister. I want to be clear about appointments to the board under section 10, in that the Minister is not a dictator. I am conscious of that. Appointments to the board are done through the Public Appointments Service, PAS. People are invited to apply to sit on the board. An independent panel will assess the applications and present a short list to the Minister, who will make the final decision.