Desmond J. O'Malley
Question:7 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the amount of national lottery funds allocated to the arts in 1995. [3233/96]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Lottery Funding.
The total national lottery allocation made to An Chomhairle Ealaíon to promote and assist the arts in 1995 was £3.707 million which represented almost 23 per cent of An Chomhairle's total allocation of £16.25 million in 1995.
Does the Minister know what percentage of the overall lottery allocation is represented in that figure? Is he satisfied that the initial objectives of the lottery, to provide substantial funding for the arts, are being met when annual allocations are being made out of lottery funds?
We cannot broaden that question beyond the bounds of the statistical question that it obviously is.
I have given the percentage increase. One of the difficulties of putting total expenditure figures together is that the Arts Council does not differentiate between the sources of its funding when paying out to different applicant organisations. On the sentiment expressed by the Deputy on the overall sharing out of lottery funds, I should imagine that my Department is not receiving at all what it should receive. Representing arts, culture and the Gaeltacht, our proportion of the lottery should be very much more. Whenever this debate arises I shall look forward to the Deputy's support.
Does the Minister intend having discussions with his party colleague, the Minister for Finance, in the hope that he could garner support from him in getting further national lottery moneys?
We are going quite beyond the bounds of the question.
The Deputy can be assured that these matters have been discussed between my colleague, the Minister for Finance, and me and we will continue to discuss them.