Arts Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 March 2013

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Questions (4)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Question:

4. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will outline financial supports given to arts centres on a county by county basis in 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13147/13]

Oral answers (5 contributions)

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan

As the Deputy will be aware, primary responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. The council is funded by my Department and statutorily independent in its day-to-day operations, including funding decisions. Details of all funding provided by the council for arts practitioners, arts groups and venues, including arts centres, are available on the council's website at www.artscouncil.ie.

My Department's direct role in the funding of the arts relates in the main to the provision of capital funding. In Ireland there is no formally accepted definition of an arts centre, but it could be assumed to be a space which provides theatre space, gallery space, venues for musical performances, workshop areas or arts educational facilities. During the years capital funding has been provided for many projects which now provide such facilities.

Details of funding provided by my Department for such facilities in the years 2010 and 2011 are available on my Department's website at www.ahg.gov.ie. An equivalent list of funding for 2012 and 2013, to date, is included in an appendix to this reply which will be circulated in the Official Report. The appendix also includes details of some current funding, including the philanthropy initiative, paid by my Department to arts organisations in 2012.

Capital Payments* from Cultural Infrastructure and Development Subhead in 2012

Grantee	County	Amount
Cinema Digitisation Scheme	National	€49,420.50
Comhaltas Ceoltoírí Éireann	National	€10,174.00
Music Network	National	€199,878.00
The Abbey Theatre	National	€450,000.00
Sweeney Memorial Library	Clare	€94,483.60
National Sculpture Factory	Cork	€15,067.60
Gate Theatre	Dublin	€24,433.02
Smock Alley Theatre	Dublin	€357,796.98
Teach Siamsa Finuge & Teach Siamsa na Carraig	Kerry	€23,585.16
Belltable Arts Centre	Limerick	€20,051.46
Hunt Museum	Limerick	€70,000.00
Limerick City Gallery of Art	Limerick	€106,914.12
St. John's Square	Limerick	€123,064.52
Garage Theatre	Monaghan	€1,362,406.36
Nenagh Community Arts Centre	Tipperary	€1,558.29
Theatre Royal	Waterford	€578,749.49
Athlone Art Gallery	Westmeath	€12,038.20
	Total	€3,499,621.30

* Figures are subject to audit.

Current Payments* from Cultural Infrastructure and Development Subhead in 2012

Grantee	County	Amount
Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann	National	€1,675,000
Introart	National	€19,000
Music Network	National	€30,000
Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal Competition	Cork	€2,000
Tigh Filí	Cork	€7,000
Cill Rialaig	Kerry	€12,646
Yeats Day	Sligo	€7,890
	Total	€1,753,536

* Figures are subject to audit.

Philanthropy Scheme Payments* from Cultural Infrastructure and Development Subhead in 2012

Grantee		County	Amount
IMMA		National	€8,333
National Irish Visual Arts Library		National	€1,835
The Abbey Theatre		National	€6,000
Briery Gap Cultural Centre Ltd		Cork	€2,500
Cork Community Art Link Limited		Cork	€1,955
Boston College		Dublin	€20,000
Draíocht, Blanchardstown		Dublin	€5,000
Dublin Theatre Festival Ltd		Dublin	€20,000
First Fortnight		Dublin	€5,000
GAZE Film Festival Ltd		Dublin	€5,866
Little Museum of Dublin		Dublin	€5,498
Monica Loughman Ballet		Dublin	10,000
Ouroboros Ireland		Dublin	€7,000
Temple Bar Gallery		Dublin	€1,250
Temple Bar Traders		Dublin	€1,500
Baboró Galway International Children's Festival		Galway	€9,963
Blue Teapot Company		Galway	€5,000
Druid Theatre		Galway	€8,590
Let's Do It Galway Ltd		Galway	€20,000
Loughrea Heritage & Development Co. Ltd		Galway	€2,200
Macnas Ltd		Galway	€2,494
Portumna Arts Group		Galway	€3,000
Charlie Chaplin Comedy Festival		Kerry	€5,000
Cill Rialaig		Kerry	€10,000
The Butler Gallery		Kilkenny	€1,625
Limerick Corridor Art Programme		Limerick	€1,250
The Model		Sligo	€5,000
Clonmel Junction Festival		Tipperary	€4,500
Waterford Healing Arts Trust		Waterford	€2,000
Wexford Festival Opera		Wexford	€20,000
	Total		€202,358.00

* Figures are subject to audit.

Capital Payments* from Cultural Infrastructure and Development Subhead in 2013

Grantee	County		Amount
Music Network	National		€182,546.83
Sweeney Memorial Library/Theatre, Kilkee	Clare		€69,875.44
Cill Rialaig	Kerry		€6,000.00
Garage Theatre	Monaghan		€569,702.54
Athlone Art Gallery	Westmeath		€503,303.41
Wexford Festival Trust	Wexford		€30,331.00
	Total		€1,361,759.22

* Figures are subject to audit.

Current Payments* from Cultural Infrastructure and Development Subhead in 2013

Grantee	County	Amount
Maire Uí Iarnáin	National	€694.95
Other Voices	National	€70,000.00
	Total	€70,694.95

* Figures are subject to audit.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl

Tá mé buíoch den Aire as ucht an fhreagra sin. I tabled this question in the context of two important developments - two significant speeches made by the President, Michael D. Higgins, in Paris recently, one at UNESCO and another in the Pompidou Centre where he talked about the importance, not least at a time of recession, of investment in the arts and culture and also the very disappointing development in Limerick where the Belltable Arts Centre has gone into liquidation, having provided a superb service on a regional basis for the people of the greater Limerick area for the past 32 years. Given that we are agreed that the network of arts centres developed across the country during the past two or three decades has brought the arts to the people in a very meaningful way and made a range of arts activities accessible to people in rural and provincial Ireland in a way that would not have been otherwise possible, will the Minister provide assurances that, in respect of the Belltable Arts Centre, some initiative can be taken to ensure the arts centre will be open in 2014 when Limerick becomes the first city of culture? Will he also assure us that there will be continued investment in the other network of centres across the country?

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan

I thank the Deputy for his question. The Arts Council has primary responsibility for the funding of centres across the country. As my predecessors in the Department made a huge investment in the Belltable Arts Centre, obviously we are very concerned about what is happening. Together with my officials, I will do everything possible when the current process is completed to ensure the centre will again be used as both a performing and visual arts centre. It is situated in the middle of Limerick city. I was in Limerick only last Monday and visited places such as Moyross and South Hill where there are some thriving arts communities and I was very encouraged by what I saw. The arts community was strong in pointing out that there were no facilities in the centre of town where the Belltable Arts Centre was located and in which the Daghdha Dance Company had a performing area. I agree with the Deputy that it is very important that the Belltable Arts Centre function again as an arts centre. My Department and I, together with Limerick City Council, will certainly do everything possible to ensure that will happen. It is very important that it should happen.

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl

I am impressed by the Minister's reply, for which I thank him. I am reassured by what he said and sure we will have an opportunity to return to this matter again. In the light of what has happened in Limerick, has the Minister had any engagement with the Arts Council or is it surveying arts centres across the country to ensure other centres will not find themselves in the same situation as the centre in Limerick? Furthermore, is he aware if the Arts Council provides any financial or management training for the boards of arts centres? It is essential that boards have the necessary skills to ensure the centres are made as financially viable as possible.

Deputy Jimmy Deenihan

The Arts Council funds the various centres based on applications made to it. A centre would have to show that it had the capacity to operate and due diligence would be applied to all centres. I will convey what the Deputy has said to the council. As a country, we have made a huge investment in arts centres in the past 20 years. The total investment, including current and capital funding, made in the previous ten years prior to my coming into office amounted to nearly €1 billion, a huge investment. It is important that we ensure these centres which were provided mostly with funding provided by taxpayers will remain open, that there will be a proper programme in place and so on. I take the Deputy's point and will convey his question to the council on it providing a service for the centres to ensure they are administered properly and cognisant of the financial arrangements necessary to ensure their viability.