Vol. 444 No. 5
3 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the number and value of bursaries awarded to individual artists in all disciplines for the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
10 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the number and value of bursaries awarded to individual artists in all disciplines for the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. a 3 agus a 10 le chéile.
Information on the number and value of bursaries awarded by An Chomhairle Ealaíon to individual artists in all disciplines is contained in their annual reports, which are laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas each year. The most recent report available is that for 1992 which was laid before the House on 9 November 1993.
If all the Minister's answers are as brief as that one Question Time will be over shortly. The answer gives no information. While reasonable provision is made for certain areas in the arts, particularly the visual arts and literature, other areas are sadly neglected so far as bursaries are concerned. I am thinking of areas of the performing arts such as dance, music and drama. Will the Minister acknowledge there is an overwhelming need for the provision of bursaries for individuals of exceptional talent in that area? I have in mind individuals who, due to the nature of their talent, must go abroad to further their studies. There are half a dozen prodigies——
A question, please.
Will the Minister use his undoubted influence to encourage the development of bursaries to enable individuals of exceptional talent who are required to travel abroad to pursue their studies and whose families undergo enormous hardship——
That should be adequate, Deputy.
Will he make a statement on that?
I am anxious to provide the Deputy with as much information as possible. There is an excellent booklet published by An Chomhairle Ealaíon, the Arts Council, Bursaries Awards and Scholarships 1994.
Tá sé agam.
I advise the Deputy it is important that she and I respect the distance the Minister responsible stands from the Arts Council. It was part of my function to argue for an increase in funding for them from £10 million to £13.25 million, an increase of nearly 30 per cent. That said, I want to answer the Deputy's question with as much——
Flair.
——fact as I can. In addition to the list of bursaries, which I am delighted the Deputy has, there are other bursaries which the Arts Council administers on which, from time to time, people have sought information. The significant increase in their funding enabled the Arts Council to address some of the areas where enough has not been done, for example, the Deputy mentioned the area of dance. There is always a wonderful opportunity for the private sector to become involved in funding bursaries. I would welcome this but it would not assist anyone if I interfered in the adjudicating and refereeing process the Arts Council is entitled to enjoy under statute.
I have some sympathy with the Deputy regarding the burden on families and individuals. It reminds me of the ground I had to take up which perhaps had not been seeded very well and the welcome explosion of interest in the arts.
I accept the role of the Minister vis-á-vis the Arts Council but, as a politician, he should consider it part of his role to bring to the Arts Council his experiences in his constituency. If the Chair will be patient with me, being the day that is in it with few questions on the Order Paper, I will instance the experience of two very gifted people in my area, one a gifted violinist from Cork city in the fourth year of his study in the Juilliard Conservatory of Music in New York and who never received a bursary to enable him pursue his studies despite the fact that his talent is bordering on genius. He has had to make do with whatever bits and pieces of funding were made available through Cork Corporation or other sources, mainly private ones. I ask the Minister to take that as an example of a small number of people who need bursaries. Will he try to influence the Arts Council to consider such cases? Like me, he respects the discretion of the Arts Council——
Is leor é sin.
How can we hope to influence the private sector if we cannot even attempt to influence the Arts Council to consider such cases?
Lest the wrong impression is created, I want to make it clear that every year the Arts Council funds several bursaries for very worthy people, including those involved in music. I am sure that all the people who have gained bursaries appreciate the way in which they have been treated by the Arts Council. Applications outnumber the bursaries available. It would be desirable if assistance could be given in every case, but that is not possible. I fight for increased funding for the Arts Council and I respect its integrity. One cannot, therefore, try to influence its decision in certain cases. I can, and must, draw attention to areas of neglect when making public statements and when I meet the Arts Council. For example, I have said that there is a need for more funding for dance. I will continue to make my views on the need for more funding for the arts known in public fora.
A crucial decision was taken on the formation of the Government to appoint a Minister with responsibility for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. This demand was not made by previous parties in Government and I am sure the results of this decision will be very worthwhile.
