Vol. 504 No. 1
14 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if she has satisfied herself with the funding provided for the National Gallery of Ireland; the plans, if any, she has to increase funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11165/99]
While it will be appreciated by the Deputy that the acquisitions policy of the National Gallery is a matter for the gallery itself under statute, I am glad to inform him that since I took office the overall funding for the gallery has increased by almost 13 per cent.
Funding resources for the various institutions which come within the remit of my Department, including the National Gallery, are decided having regard to the overall financial resources available to the core collecting institutions of the State. Historically many of these institutions have not had sufficient resources to maximise their potential in the way they should in Irish society. However within these constraints, funding provided by the State by way of separate vote to the National Gallery including staff costs is £2.396 million in 1999. This does not include significant expenditure through the Vote of the Office of Public Works on developing the National Gallery, nor the combination of Exchequer and EU funds made available directly to the Gallery itself for the major Clare Street extension project, which is currently under way and which will cost approximately £16.0 million.
In addition, the gallery is entitled to avail of a tax relief provision which is designed to encourage donations or heritage works of art to our core collecting institutions. Through this measure, I am pleased to say that the National Gallery has received important donations of significant art works, most recently the sculpture titled Amorino by Antonio Canova.
Apart from the State's contribution to the National Gallery, the gallery itself generates income from a number of sources, notably from the George Bernard Shaw and Sir Hugh Lane bequests, and from the gallery shop and restaurant. Taken as a whole the gallery has substantial resources at its disposal, although by international standards, the amount of resources must still be considered modest.
