Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire. Déanaim comhghairdeas léi as ucht a ceapacháin. Aithním gurb í an Aire a bhfuil freagrachtaí Gaeilge faoina cúram freisin. Guím gach rath uirthi leis sin. Bheinn á moladh, más féidir. Tuigim go bhfuil an tAire ag foghlaim níos mó Gaeilge i láthair na huaire, nó sin atá ráite aici. Má bhíonn an mhisneach aici an Ghaeilge a úsáid níos minicí sna Tithe, tabharfadh sé misneach do dhaoine eile chomh maith.

I welcome the Minister and wish her well in her new brief. I note she also holds the brief for the Gaeltacht. I have been told that she will learn more or brush up on Irish, on which I commend her. I hope she will use more of it in the House and give other people here a bit of encouragement to do that.

When I started my working life, I worked in the arts in Galway. Most of us at that time were on the dole, but we had incredible times making art, theatre, etc. for quite a number of years. My heart and soul is rooted in the arts in Galway. I welcome the designation of Galway as the European city of culture but I also have questions around it. If it is going to work for everybody in the spirit of what has been written and said, we need to ask quite a lot of questions.

As a programme, Making Waves has had a bit of a stormy start. I want to outline that to the Minister because she is making a substantial investment of €15 million in the €45 million budget. She needs to make sure that the money is spent well. People have welcomed all of the different cultural initiatives. We have had different initiatives in Galway, but one which has been mentioned today is the art-house cinema which we all welcome. That was very much a funding debacle and I understand the project had to be bailed out twice by the Department. The oversight was not up to scratch. When the bid was put forward, I asked how much it would cost. We were initially told that the bid for 2020 would cost €1.5 million. Subsequently, the city council announced it was €1.8 million. We have been told that around €1.8 million was spent on the bid.

Officials in Rijeka, Croatia, which also had a bid in 2020, had a budget of €390,000 but only spent €258,000. The Serbian city of Novi Sad, which will have a similar designation in 2021, spent €169,000. It seems that the average figure spent on a bid is €300,000. The smart alec answer I got from Galway was that it won the bid. I do not think that is good enough. One has to be very responsible with the money which is being spent. In my mind, it raises questions as to whether we have the proper governance and oversight in respect of the money which is being spent.

There were two major positions advertised publicly, namely, CEO and artistic director. The salaries for those positions will cost in the region of €260,000 per year. I do not think that includes expenses. I understand there are six or seven other staff members. I do not begrudge any of those holding those positions. I am just asking questions about the money. Staffing costs will probably be €500,000 or €600,000 per year out of the €45 million to be spent on the project. I am asking whether that figure is very high and whether the money is being properly spent. How much will be spent on projects and the arts in the town? What legacy will it leave?

I also note that the Minister referred to the €1.5 million prize which will be awarded. My understanding is that will not be awarded until the entire project has finished and been audited and the European Commission is happy. The money is not in the bank. At this stage, how certain are we that the balance of the €30 million that is to be made available will be made available? Will the money be forthcoming and where will it come from? I ask this so that the project is a success. I do not want to be told afterwards, in the event of any problems, that I did not raise any questions in the run-up to the project. That is why I am asking the question now. I have engaged with the project in this regard.

From an artistic perspective, there was a bit of a rocky start. Senator Higgins might have enjoyed this. The director, Chris Baldwin, was interviewed inThe Irish Times by Rosita Boland after his appointment. We were told that he was on a steep learning curve about Ireland's culture and cultural figures. Rosita Boland wrote:

The week we meet Mike McCormack, long-time resident of the Galway region, had just been longlisted for the .

“Do you know who Mike McCormack is?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Do you know who is?”

“Yes, of course,” Baldwin answers.

“Who is he?”

“Well, I think the history of Ireland is something that is going to be incredibly important to me. When I come to a place I spend my time completely immersing myself ..."

She pushed him and said:

By this stage I am pretty sure Baldwin is bluffing. “Who is he?” I ask again.

“One of the important leaders of the early revolutionary movement,” Baldwin says confidently.