I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 14 together.
While the figure quoted by the Deputy in respect of culture and heritage expenditure under the last plan — 26.3 per cent — broadly reflects the initial forecasts for such expenditure under the Operational Programme for Tourism 1989-93, it is not possible at this stage to provide the Deputy with the initial forecast of total culture and heritage expenditure under the next National Development Plan covering the years 1994-99. This is because the figure quoted by the Deputy for the last plan included expenditure by Bord Fáilte and SFADCo on culture and heritage, whereas no decisions have yet been taken on the budgets to be applied by those two agencies to these categories of expenditure under the next plan. To compare like with like, therefore, it is necessary to deduct the Bord Fáilte and SFADCo expenditure from the initial forecast of the last plan and compare the balance with the sums assigned to my Department under the next plan. This calculation shows that, whereas £42.6 million, or 14.2 per cent of the total operational programme expenditure, was initially forecasted for non-Bord Fáilte and SFADCo expenditure on culture and heritage under the last plan, the figures assigned to me under the next plan are £139 million or 21 per cent of total forecast operational programme expenditure. I think the Deputy will agree with my contention that these are historically high levels of expenditure, in real and percentage terms.
As for my views on the economy for the arts under the next plan, I am pleased that the plan, for the first time, goes far beyond the provisions of the last plan in catering for the national cultural institutions, in facilitating a capital programme for the arts and in assigning responsibility to me for the funding of some elements of cultural tourism activities which would be promoted by local authorities. As I already indicated to the Deputy, these figures do not take account of the budgets to be applied by Bord Fáilte and SFADCo to culture and heritage projects under the next plan. For her information, however, I can say that this element of expenditure amounted to £36 million in the initial forecasted expenditure and some £68.5 million in the current forecasted outcome for the last plan.
The significance of all this is that the £139 million assigned to me under the Tourism Operational Programme for arts, culture and heritage activities, with the £16 million assigned to me for the development of the film industry under the Industry Operational Programme, will place the activities of my Department squarely in the centre of this Government's overall economic and social strategies. Arts, culture and heritage activities will no longer be on the margin of Government priorities. On the contrary, as envisaged in our Programme for a Partnership Government 1993-1997, these activities will now be part of the Government's job creation strategy, in recognition of the fact that the cost of creating a job in the arts is considerably less than in any other sector of the economy.
I should add that also there will continue to be a significant element of expenditure under the Votes for my Department — mainly of a current nature — which will be additional to the provisions in the National Development Plan and will serve to contribute to the Government's job creation strategy. I refer, in particular, to the sums allocated annually to the cultural institutions of the State — the National Museum, National Gallery, National Library, National Archives, Irish Museum of Modern Art, National Concert Hall, National Heritage Council and the Chester Beatty Library, as well as to An Chomhairle Ealaíon. There is a significant amount of research analysis throughout Europe to demonstrate that cultural institutions constitute a major attraction to visitors. Ireland is no exception to this trend, which obviously has spin-off effects in terms of job creation and significant value added to the economy. Moreover, an analysis carried out by An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 1992 indicated that, for every £1 of grant-aid it received in 1990, arts organisations managed to generate a further £1.80, which indicates that An Chomhairle's funding represents only some 35 per cent of the turnover of arts organisations. Applying this indicator, it is reasonable to say that the £11.5 million which the Government allocated to An Chomhairle Ealaíon this year will have generated some £33 million of activity by arts organisations throughout the country.
I intend in the coming years to examine the possibilities for job creation in the cultural industries sector, that is the commercial as distinct from the subvented activities which have a strong cultural or artistic profile. The music industry and the book publishing industry are instances where there are opportunities for job creation which will have to be explored.
However, this country is very short of detailed information and statistics specific to the cultural industries in Ireland. A considerable amount of investigation will have to be undertaken, therefore, to identify the precise nature of long term sustainable jobs which might follow from expansion in these areas. Where opportunities in the cultural industries arise in the short term, my Department intends to establish formal links with Forbairt to advance these proposals within the framework of indigenous industrial development in an integrated and cost effective manner.
In the meantime this week saw the inauguration of a significant initiative for the film industry, with the establishment of a special committee consisting of my Department, the Film Board, RTE, the IDA, An Bord Tráchtála, FÁS, Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Comhairle Ealaíon. This committee is charged with the promotion and co-ordination of the film sector in order to maximise the opportunities for job creation in this area also.
