Vol. 439 No. 3
18 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the consultations, if any, that have taken place between his Department and the Department of the Environment in relation to developing the scheme of the 1 per cent art embellishment programme as outlined in the National Development Plan, 1994-1999.
As I indicated in a reply to a similar question on 4 November 1993, responsibility for the administration of the present 1 per cent scheme is a matter for the Minister for the Environment. Under the scheme local authorities may include in the capital cost of public works projects, a sum not exceeding 1 per cent of cost or £20,000 whichever is the lower for an appropriate artistic embellishment. The scheme applies whether or not the project is financed from Structural Funds.
Under the Programme for a Partnership Government 1993-1997, there is a commitment requiring local authorities to spend 1 per cent of their budget for capital projects on artistic embellishment. Officials of my Department have to date had a number of meetings with officials of the Department of the Environment regarding the operation of the scheme. My Department will continue to pursue this important matter with the Department of the Environment.
