Vol. 404 No. 4
25 Miss Quill asked the Taoiseach if, in view of the enhanced commitment to art and culture in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, he will outline the new developments in the field of art and culture he anticipates in the next five years.
In accordance with the Programme for Economic and Social Progress, the Government are committed to facilitating the development of the creative and performing arts in Ireland. They will also promote wider access to the arts as well as enhancing our major national cultural institutions.
The Arts Council are the primary source of State funding for the contemporary arts, and the Government intend to increase the council's funding over time to the target set by the council itself. This will allow the council to expand their highly successful policies of promoting high standards of artistic activity and wider access to the arts throughout the country.
In addition, the programme of improvement and development already well advanced in our major national cultural institutions such as the National Gallery, National Library, National Museum and National Archives will continue throughout the duration of the programme.
Other initiatives include the establishment of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the development of the Temple Bar area in Dublin as an artistic and cultural area and the inception of the National Genealogical Project, all of which are designed to enhance and expand our cultural infrastructure, will take place during the course of the programme.
