Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I note the last paragraph which refers to meetings this summer with the Drama League of Ireland, the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland and the Association of Irish Musical Societies. The three of them are listed there. However, when it comes to the provision of funding, only two of those three entities are named and the one that is left out is the one for which I am specifically making representations. I am heartened that the Department will continue to engage with it. I will certainly bring that back to Frank Foley and all the people across the country his association represents.

I am also heartened at the capital funding because we will need capital funding to reopen the Rupert Guinness Theatre in Dublin 8 and to make sure that is available to the community across the Liberties and Dublin South-Central. It is very disappointing that they met during the summer and a budget was announced but that no specific allowance was made for musical theatre.