Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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51. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the contact she and her officials have had with members and representatives of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra; if members and representatives of musicians in these orchestras have been included in the working parties examining the potential transfer of the orchestras to the National Concert Hall; the progress made in this regard; and the stage plans are at to upgrade the National Concert Hall. [8693/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Following the publication of the report by RTÉ that it commissioned from independent consultants Helen Boaden and Mediatique on the RTÉ Orchestras entitled RTÉ Orchestras Ensuring a Sustainable Future, the Government  agreed in principle that the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (RTÉ NSO) should come within the remit of the National Concert Hall (NCH). The Government also authorised the initiation of discussions on the implementation of the recommendations of the report. 

The overall aim  of the Government decision in relation to the proposed transfer of the RTÉ NSO is to enable the orchestra to be established as a world class orchestra which would, with the NCH, provide a creative and imaginative programme strategy that would greatly enhance the offering of the combined organisation to the public.

An Oversight Group and Working Group have been established with formal terms of reference, with a view to identifying and addressing the relevant issues to be addressed to enable the successful transfer of the NSO from the remit of RTÉ to the remit of the NCH.  

The Oversight Group has already met on a number of occasions and has agreed on the importance of a proper communication process between the Oversight and Working Group and representatives, members and support staff of the NSO,  to ensure that the orchestra is informed on a timely basis about all aspects of the proposed transfer of the NSO, and can input to the process. In this regard, a meeting has recently been held with representatives of the NSO to update them on developments to date.   

The RTE Concert Orchestra is to remain within the remit of RTE. 

Under its plan 'Investing in our Culture, Heritage and Language' the Government intends to invest €460m in a significant number of capital projects in our National Cultural Institutions over the period 2018 to 2027.  This includes an amount of €78 million for the re-development of the National Concert Hall.

Investments under this plan will be subject to appraisal and evaluation in line with the Public Spending Code.  This includes the consideration of a range of options prior to committing any funding to the project, an evaluation of the financial and economic implications of the project prior to procuring the project, and robust project management arrangements throughout the implementation phase. 

The appraisal and planning for the re-development of the National Concert Hall is ongoing between my Department, the Office of Public Works and the National Concert Hall.   

I look forward to the development of this project which will be a landmark for music in Ireland.