Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Today is Bloomsday and I note Senator Norris, a great Joycean scholar, has left the Chamber. I add my voice to that of Senator Higgins on the status of arts in Ireland, particularly with the perceived, if not real, downgrading of the arts from a department structure perspective. There is a lack of a Minister of State with responsibility for arts in the Department. Even with the Taoiseach's nominees to this House, five years ago, Fiach Mac Conghail, the director of the Abbey Theatre, took up a role here and added greatly to the debate on the cultural importance of the sector to social and political life.That is also an omission. Could the Leader invite the Minister to come to the House to discuss arts funding and the importance of the arts? We are the only country in the world that has a musical instrument as its national symbol. While we often view the arts and cultural life as being somewhat of a luxury, from my work in the equality field, I know those on the edges of society often do not have any other means of expressing the lives they lead and the trials and tribulations they go through. The only way they can do that is through the arts.

Following on from what Senator Ardagh outlined earlier, there is quite a level of unease and disquiet around the issue of waste charges. I heard on the radio this morning that the Minister intends to meet with various private sector companies in respect of this issue next week. It would be a good idea to have a calm debate on the floor of this House on what the situation is because when there is a vacuum, fears can be raised. As Senator Ardagh rightly said, people have fears regarding how they can meet bills as the situation continues. I hope we can progress the issue of the arts and their importance to this country. I hope we can get clarity regarding the situation around waste charges and to this end, we should invite the Minister to come to the House to further that debate.