Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 November 2012
148. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which he or his Department or the appropriate bodies under the aegis of his Department have received communication from various arts and or heritage groups throughout the country seeking financial or other assistance towards projects outstanding for a period of longer than three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53362/12]
View answer152. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number and location of arts projects directly assisted by his Department or by bodies under his Department’s aegis in each of the past three years to date; the extent to which he expects to be in a position to meet such requirements in the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53366/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 152 together.
As the Deputy is aware, primary responsibility for funding for the arts rests with the Arts Council. The Council is independent in its decision-making process. Details of the Council's successful applicants are available on the Council's website at www.artscouncil.ie, as well as the decision-making panel and statistics on applications. The Council's 2012 allocation of €63.241 million will allow it to maximise its continuing support for its clients in the arts.
The Government's policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, to increase access to and participation in the arts and to make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life. I am continuing to work towards this goal with my Department and the agencies within its remit and I remain committed to securing the best possible level of funding for the arts sector.
In addition, my Department through its Culture Ireland Division, supports Irish arts worldwide by creating and supporting opportunities for Irish artists and companies to present and promote their work at strategic international festivals and venues, presenting outstanding Irish creative work to international audiences through showcases at key global arts events including the Edinburgh Festivals and Venice Biennales, as well as through special initiatives such as the recently concluded Imagine Ireland initiative in the United States. Details of those awarded grants so far in 2012 are available on the Department's website www.ahg.gov.ie .
Last May I was pleased to launch the Philanthropy Leverage Initiative. This initiative, established with funding of €230,000 for 2012, is designed to encourage philanthropic sponsorship and endowment funding of the arts from private sources. The scheme aims to promote support for the arts from private sources and to unlock two to five times the funding put up by the taxpayer. The Philanthropy Leverage Initiative has provided an incentive to arts organisations to proactively seek new and multi-annual relationships with sponsors which deliver private sector financial support, thereby increasing overall funding available to the arts. Applications for the initiative were made across projects of varying scale, geography and art forms. Details of awards made under this initiative are available on my Department's website. The Leverage Initiative will run in parallel with a second initiative – the Philanthropy Capacity Building Initiative – which is operated by the Arts Council.
As the Deputy is aware, I wrote to him on 25 April 2012 setting out details of all arts bodies and/or groups that received funding since 1 June 2011, the amount of the funding provided and the purpose of the funding. I also supplied details of all funding provided by Culture Ireland to organisations from June 2011 to then. In addition, I forwarded details received from the Arts Council of all funding provided by it to arts practitioners, arts groups and venues in 2011 and 2012. I am arranging to have this information updated and will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The State appreciates and values the contribution the arts sector makes to the internationally renowned artistic reputation of this country. Within the current economic constraints, that investment in the arts, culture and creative sectors is more important than ever, having regard to the employment intensity of the sector. In the context of the 2013 Estimates, I will, of course, be endeavouring to maximise continuing Government support for the arts.
My Department receives submissions regularly from heritage organisations seeking financial and other assistance towards heritage related projects. Each request is reviewed by my Department on a case by case basis and those projects deemed suitable are supported within available budgets and resources, or redirected to a more appropriate heritage body. In addition, the Heritage Council, which my Department funds, accepts applications under its heritage grants programme for consideration. It is a matter for the council to allocate funding under these schemes.
