Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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34. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she plans to implement the Boaden report's recommendation that the NSO become a national cultural institution (details supplied). [26710/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Boaden Report made a number of recommendations including the following:

- the RTE National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) should be a national cultural institution in its own right or within the National Concert Hall; 

- the RTE Concert Orchestra (CO) should continue to be part of RTE, functioning as a classic "radio" or Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) orchestra, on the model of many such orchestras worldwide;

- while operating independently, the RTE NSO should continue to co-ordinate activities with the RTE CO to ensure the two work on a complementary basis; and

- both orchestras should be returned to historical levels of staffing and activities. 

I have welcomed the reports recommendations, together with my colleague the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, and we will be reporting to Government shortly on the proposed next steps.