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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Nov 1988

Vol. 384 No. 3

Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Arts Council Proposals.

1.

asked the Taoiseach the reason there has been no response from him or his Government to the extensive five-year plan proposals from the Arts Council for national arts development which was submitted in June 1987.

It is not correct to say that there has been no response to the Arts Council's proposals. They have formed the background to the consideration of Exchequer and national lottery funding of arts and culture. Total funding by my Department of cultural projects and agencies and of the Arts Council increased to £16.3 million in 1988 as compared to £11.1 million in 1986. That represented a 46.8 per cent increase. As recommended by the Arts Council's five-year plan, considerable additional funding was provided from lottery sources to maintain support for existing arts centres and facilitate the creation of those planned for major centres of population. Funding totalling £1.6 million was given to 15 specific projects endorsed in the council's plan.

What the Tánaiste is talking about in terms of funding given to various areas of the arts has nothing whatsoever to do with the question asked. Will he give me a response to the question as to why the Arts Council were never invited to discuss their plan and why there was no formal recognition that such a plan existed? The plan was a five-year development plan produced by a body who have statutory responsibility for development of the contemporary arts. Why was no indication forthcoming at any stage from the Taoiseach or his Department that they had any consideration or regard for this plan?

Certainly the plan can be considered, but I was at pains to say in the reply that there are a number of other avenues in respect of arts and culture that have been facilitated to the very substantial degree of increase I have mentioned, outside the Arts Council themselves. The Arts Council are not the sole mechanism through which funds can be allocated to arts and culture projects and programmes.

The document in question, the plan of the Arts Council, was sent to the Taoiseach's Department in June 1987 after six months' hard work by the Arts Council arising from the Government publication Access and Opportunity, A White Paper on Cultural Policy which was brought out in January 1987. The question of funding through the Arts Council to the arts was addressed in this document. They did not ask to be the sole funder of artistic endeavour but they fulfilled their statutory obligations. Would the Tánaiste not agree that to disregard the work of an expert body of people involved in the artistic world in every aspect and to ignore the just demands of festivals and bodies all over the country——

I appeal for brevity.

——is grossly insulting to a statutory body?

Maybe there is a misunderstanding here. While there has been no formal response from the Taoiseach——

——to the five-year plan, it has formed a background to a number of discussions that have taken place with the Director of the Arts Council and his staff and the staff of the arts and culture division of the Department in considering annual Estimates for the Arts Council and lottery allocations to the Arts Council which have also been substantial and will be a continuing factor in their funding. It is not as if, as the Deputy suggests, there is no contact between the Arts Council and the Department of the Taoiseach. There are regular ongoing discussions between them on allocations and desirable funding of projects, but there is a more flexible approach in that it is not just within the Arts Council as such but other means are being adopted whereby valuable work can be done by way of expenditure on arts and culture.

No. 2. Order. I am not going to dwell unduly long on any question. I ask Deputies to bear with the Chair in that regard. I have given Deputy Hussey a great deal of latitude on this question. She has asked a series of supplementary questions. One brief supplementary, please, Deputy.

Therefore, could I take it from the Tánaiste's answer that the plan presented by the Arts Council is approved of by the Government? Secondly, does a cut of 13 per cent in the Arts Council's funding for 1989 represent acceptance of the plan?

Again, I want to emphasise what I said in the last sentence in reply to Deputy Hussey, that that is just the direct Exchequer funding to which she refers. That will be more than made up by the lottery funding.

It is ongoing.

It was ongoing a month ago.

We are talking about £16 million in 1988 which——

What about 1989?

——compared to £11 million in 1986 is a near 50 per cent increase.

It is cut 13 per cent for 1989.

We can make up any shortfall to which the Deputy refers by lottery funding.

That is an ongoing matter.

I am afraid this is leading to argument. Please, Deputies, desist. I am calling Question No. 2.

I had a brief supplementary on this.

Well, Deputy, I hesitate to say "no" to Deputies if they will be very brief, otherwise I am going on to another question.

My question is very brief. Arising from the Tánaiste's reply, which referred to the existence of an arts and culture section in the Department of the Taoiseach, will he answer "yes" or "no" to this question? In view of all he has said about additional funding separate from estimated funding, have the principles of the plan prepared by the Arts Council been accepted?

It is not a black and white matter of that kind. There are a number of bodies under the arts and culture heading and Deputy Higgins himself is well aware of one in my own Department where we have doubled the funding under our cultural allocation by topping up the Exchequer contribution by funding from the national lottery. Then you have the Arts Council and a number of other bodies who do not qualify either under my heading or the Arts Council's heading. It is not a black and white matter of considering plans; it is a question of meeting projects and programmes submitted and allocating moneys after consultation with the officials and the Director of the Arts Council on how best funds should be allocated and where they should be allocated. We are not in a strait jacket of a plan. We are dealing with art and culture. We are dealing with matters that are outside the narrow framework of a plan or anything of that nature.

Considering the extensive moneys that are allocated to the arts area, do the Government have any proposals or plan for the future, their own or that of the Arts Council, for the devlopment of art? Will the Taoiseach, at this stage meet with the Arts Council to discuss that matter?

I will certainly take up this matter with the Taoiseach's Department. Both the Taoiseach's Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs have benefited enormously from the lottery, and it is very important to remember that. While one can have guidelines, arts and culture require an ongoing treatment depending on the circumstances of each case. Surely the Government have shown their bona fides by the increase of the order of 47 per cent in expenditure in 1988 over 1986 under the heading of arts and culture.

Could the Minister answer the question?

That will continue irrespective of what is decided in respect of the national lottery. The arts and culture will always receive a primary rating for expenditure under that heading.

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