Máirín Quill
Question:15 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht if it is proposed to include the £2.5 million sought for the extension of the Crawford Gallery, County Cork in the 1994 capital allocation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Art Gallery.
Pat Cox
Question:32 Mr. Cox asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht if it is proposed to include the £2.5 million sought for the extension of the Crawford Gallery in Cork in this year's capital allocation.
Tógfaidh mé ceisteanna a 15 agus a 32 le chéile.
The funds at my Department's disposal this year would not allow me to include funding for the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork. Deputies will be aware that Structural Funds have been put at my disposal to provide funding for arts and culture infrastructure under the National Development Plan 1994-1999. However, since the details of the plan are currently under discussion with the European Commission, it will be some time before there will be a final agreement on the plan's components. When this process has been completed I will be in a position to establish precise criteria for eligibility for assistance under my capital allocations. I have tried to give some suggestions today.
The Deputies are no doubt aware that the Crawford Gallery is administered by the County Cork vocational educational committee and that its funding requirements are the responsibility, in the first instance, of that body and my colleague, the Minister for Education. The chairman of the board of the Crawford Gallery, Deputy Toddy O'Sullivan, has also been in touch with me on a number of occasions about this matter. When the criteria for Structural Funds assistance for arts and cultural projects have been determined, I am prepared to consider the eligibility of the proposed development at the Crawford Gallery for such assistance in close consultation with the Minister for Education.
Would the Minister accept that this gallery is not just a fine municipal gallery but is also a major force for artistic activity in the Munster region? It needs this capital grant of £2.5 million to enable it grow and attain its full potential. In accordance with the principle of balance between the capital and the region, to which the Minister made many references during Question Time today, would he accept that funding for this gallery must be provided in the context of the Structural Funds? I ask the Minister to give this matter his immediate attention.
The Crawford Gallery is of significance not just to Cork but nationally. It is also of immense importance for teaching purposes. I visited the Crawford Gallery, as the Deputy may be aware, and it has two problems, one of which is urgent. There is a problem with the roof, which would require a sum of £0.5 million to repair. In addition, the board of the gallery has proposed that while repairs are carried out to the roof, an extension should be provided which would increase the amount of work that could be carried on and also increase access to the gallery. It suggests that rather than proceed with the immediate problem of the roof, it would be more appropriate to see if the extension can be considered at the same time. Those are the terms on which the proposal has been put to me.
The Crawford Gallery is administered by the County Cork Vocational Education Committee and the local authority may want to indicate to the vocational education committee how it proposes to assist in coming up with mechanisms to meet the 25 per cent requirement. This is a worthy project and when the exact criteria have been announced I will examine it further.
Would the Minister be prepared to make a priority of this particular application?