Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is the first chance I have had to engage with the Minister. It is nice to meet her here in the Seanad. I thank her for the comprehensive update. She has an incredibly challenging brief.This period has been quite challenging for people who are creative and need to connect with people. That is their passion and vocation in life. As my colleague said, we have to make sure that people are not left behind. If a basic income for artists and creative people is what comes out of this, that is a good thing because creativity is part of our DNA.

I have a slightly different question. I have tried to be a voice for the wedding industry throughout the pandemic. I will make a point I have made consistently. I am not here to ask the Minister for supports for the wedding industry, but those working in it do not have a place to go to in government. They do not know where to go. I talked to members of the Wedding International Professionals Association and they do not feel they have a Ministry they can go to. They gravitate towards the Minister's Department because it covers live entertainment, tourism and, in part, business. They believe that the Minister's Department is probably the one to go to because it takes in events. The wedding industry is worth €3 billion. Its members want best practice but they need to engage and are looking for partnership. I ask the Minister to bring back to the Department that we need to be able to give them a Ministry they can come to about best practice.