Vol. 452 No. 1
18 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the proposals, if any, he has to amend the Arts Act, 1951, in order to emphasise access to the Arts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7717/95]
Section 3 of the Arts Act, 1951, already obliges An Chomhairle Ealaíon, by such means and in such manner as they think fit, to, inter alia,
— stimulate public interest in the arts, and
— promote the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts.
I have no plans at present, therefore, to amend the Act since it already addresses the issue raised by the Deputy.
It is this legal framework which has informed the decision of An Chomhairle Ealaíon to make access to the arts one of the key Strategic Objectives of The Arts Plan 1995-1997. The plan makes it clear that the objective “is to encourage real participation in the arts in terms of availability and access, with particular reference to young people, children and people with disabilities and taking account of social as well as geographical barriers”.
In this context, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that, in order to underline the inclusiveness of the plan's objectives and the major emphasis which it places on access, an Irish language version of the plan will be published shortly.
