Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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45. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions she has taken to date to address delays in setting up a film forum. [8697/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on the Development and Working Conditions in the Irish Film Industry recommended in July that Screen Ireland (formerly the Irish Film Board) constitute a Film Forum, with an independent Chair, in order to allow all stakeholders within the sector to meet and work together to develop mutually beneficial solutions for the industry. 

Screen Ireland has been endeavouring to organise the Forum and had drawn up a list of all stakeholders to invite to the Forum.  These include representatives of workers in the industry which include

- The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)

- SIPTU

- Irish Film Workers Association (IFWA)

- GMBh Trade Union

- Screen Guilds of Ireland

The emergence of disputes between stakeholders have, however, impeded progress on the Forum.  I understand that following the transmission of an RTÉ Prime Time programme on the film industry, ICTU and SIPTU stated that they would not attend a Forum to which the IFWA is invited, and that the Screen Guilds of Ireland gave a similar response.  Based on the ICTU position, Screen Producers Ireland also indicated that it would not attend. This position was communicated to the Oireachtas Committee on 21 December last by Screen Ireland who requested that the Committee meet with stakeholders to hear their concerns in relation to the proposed Industry Forum

My Department will continue to work through  the Audiovisual High Level Steering Group to address issues raised in the audiovisual industry, and to support the industry and the people who work in it.