As the arts sector faces a prolonged period of uncertainty, what needs to be done? How much will it cost? And how should the government respond? We begin with some extracts from a debate on the arts that took place in Dáil Éireann, the Irish parliament, last Thursday 14 May, and editor Toner Quinn then speaks to Louise Donlon, director of the Lime Tree Theatre in Limerick and a former member of the Arts Council, and musician and independent consultant Dermot McLaughlin.