I refer the Deputy to my reply of 19th November 2008 last to question 41832/08. As I outlined in that reply, under measures introduced in the 2009 budget, all Government Departments and State Agencies are to achieve a range of reductions and savings in 2009, both on pay and non-pay expenditure, and the Arts Council is no exception. These include a 3% reduction in the level of their 2008 pay bill and at least a 50% reduction in their consultancy and advertising budgets.
The Arts Council is statutorily independent, under the Arts Act 2003, in its funding decisions and I have no role to play in actual funding allocations made by the Council. As Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism I am committed to securing the best possible funding deal for the Arts Council and the arts sector generally throughout the country. By any standards however, the Arts Council has seen dramatic increases in its funding allocation in recent years, increasing by over 59% from €47.67 million in 2002 to €81.62 million in 2009. These are significant amounts of taxpayers' money in any context and have effectively transformed the arts, by facilitating increased access to and participation in the full spectrum of art forms throughout the country.
The Government's sustained support has resulted in a firm foundation to the arts sector that will assist it in facing future challenges and hopefully minimizing the effects of the new funding situation. This Government is committed to supporting the arts and will continue to work with and fund the Arts Council within available financial resources as part of its programme to achieve this.