There are a number of issues that are not within my brief but I would say how pleased I am to see that questions are being asked about the arts in Ireland that are not being asked, for instance, by the Arts Council. My concern would be that the process of discussion is managed in such a way as to absolutely ensure that all relevant sectoral inputs are included.

The suggestion that there should be a reduction in the number of personnel on the Arts Council I think would fundamentally damage the democratic capacity of the Council, allowing for probably a greater number of decisions to be made by fewer people.

On whether the Council should be brought closer within the ambit of the Department, I would be concerned about that. I don't know what the implications would be for the arts but I would suspect that the energies of the department are already over-stretched.

I would also like to see a stipend for Arts Council members. They need to be very informed and hugely knowledgeable about a broad range of issues and I think that, if a stipend would encourage them to perhaps be more diligent, then go for it. Another thing is the idea of a cultural body abroad to manage the exportation of Irish art - something like the Alliance Francaise or the Instituto Cervantes.

Suggestion of such a body is totally absent. Also, there is no mention of how to support incoming art. I have constant troubles trying to get funding to bring productions in from abroad, which would not only be very enjoyable but would expose people to foreign art and help us understand our place, culturally, on a global scale.