The relationship between arts, sport and tourism: It's an odd combination of responsibilities, but he manfully argues that there's a synergy between the three, citing the cultural tourism potential of next year's ReJoyce celebrations ("our culture has never been mined to the extent that it could have been to attract visitors").
Similarly, he talks about how the huge money generated by, say, international football games, is significant for tourism.
"When an Irish racehorse wins the Melbourne Cup, as has happened twice, he's a living ambassador for the country, and not just the country's bloodstock, but for the country's culture and for the attractions of Ireland. The same can be said of most of our great artists, most of our great sports people. So there is no question that they are related all right. They might be first cousins once removed, but they are related."
The arts in education: He plans to introduce a second short-term sub-committee "to see how best we can stimulate the greater participation of primary school children in the arts. I think that we haven't had up to now a sufficient effort to encourage creativity amongst young people. If you want to maximise an individual's creative abilities or potential, it is necessary to provoke that creativity at an earlier age."
The Abbey: "To be honest, it's a modern miracle that they are able to put on the productions that they are able to put on at the present time. It's an extraordinary thing if you think about it: it's the centenary next year, and there has been no appreciable work to it. It's also extraordinary that this generation of Irish people has been one of the most imaginative and creative in the history of the young State, as opposed to the old nation, and there is no architectural public expression of the creativity and imagination for that generation. And something like the Abbey affords this generation the opportunity of giving expression, architecturally, to that creativity and that imagination. So I am very interested in advancing it." However, "I'm not saying to complete it, but to advance it". He denies that the PPP proposal is simply putting the Abbey on the back-burner, saying the Office of Public Works is finalising the tendering process and that he is "convinced that of all the public/private partnerships in the country, the Abbey will attract an investor, because there is tremendous commercial potential on the site". He's committed to the present site, which, "going back to Lady Gregory herself, has a kind of emotional resonance with a lot of people".
The elimination of Section 481 tax breaks for film: "Personally, I'm a strong supporter of section 481."
Artists' tax exemption: He wants to protect it, and to look at the issues along with the Revenue Commissioners.
His priorities for the term: The Arts Bill, and in terms of infrastructure, advancing the Abbey Theatre and the National Concert Hall. "I sincerely hope that during the course of the ministry we will succeed in building upon the foundations laid under the Axis programme, ensuring that creativity is given room to express itself in all its diverse forms. That would be the ambition, increasing participation."
The relationship between the Minister and the Arts Council, under the new Arts Act: "It is true that there is a power for the minister to direct the council in relation to the implementation of Government policy, but that is not interference in terms of the disbursement of funds, or in an intrusive way, it merely ensures democratic accountability. It is important that if a given Government enunciates a policy for the arts that the policy is implemented. I don't expect any minister to be running around the place every day saying 'do this and do that'. But it is only where there is a lacuna that the minister would really go in, because he would actually be asking that Government policy be implemented."
Nor is it a shafting of the Arts Council, he says. "How would you put in a policy to interfere with an Arts Council that was appointed by your own Government? Sure, what would you be up to? I think that the manner in which this is done is far more open and transparent and honest. There are no meetings behind closed doors. There's no calling in of the chairman and saying 'by the way, do that there' in the shadow of the night. There's no whispers in the shadows. There's no Machiavellian ministries. . . . We're just saying out straight, 'This is the policy', and everybody can make a judgment.
