Vol. 431 No. 7
5 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht if in view of the establishment of his Department as a new Department by the present Government, he intends to take any new initiatives in respect of the role, function and terms of reference of the Arts Council prior to the appointment of the new board.
The current role, functions and terms of reference to An Chomhairle Ealaíon are defined by an tAcht Ealaíon, 1951, and an tAcht Ealaíon, 1973, and I have no plans at present to change the statutory position.
Within the framework of the existing legislation and in accordance with the Programme for a Partnership Government I will be requesting the council to submit a three-year plan for funding of the arts when I have appointed a new council, which I expect to be able to do by September. Receipt of this plan will enable me to place it in the context of my own overall policy and to comment upon and seek adjustments, where appropriate, so as to ensure that the activities of An Chomhairle Ealaíon form part of an integrated and coherent funding policy across the arts, culture and heritage areas and maximise the return on the State's investment in these important areas.
Would the Minister accept, after 42 years of Arts Council activity, that there are still glaring gaps in the provision of arts infrastructure and funding for the arts throughout the country? While I am not permitted to quote, it is stated in the report of the Arts Council published in January 1993 that — I am paraphrasing — by contrast to our nearest neighbours in Northern Ireland and Britain the provision of arts buildings in the Republic is poor; that, when looked at in the wider European context, arts buildings provision in the Republic is unacceptable——
I am concerned about the paraphrasing, Deputy; I do not think we have the time for it.
It goes on to state that it is fair to say that, outside of Dublin and to a lesser degree Cork and Galway, facilities for the arts, especially the performing arts, are very poor. I suggest to the Minister that the time is right to put a mechanism in place for the Arts Council to close the gaps which it acknowledges exist. Would the Minister acknowledge that there is now a great need to appoint to the Arts Council people who will represent the provinces——
The Deputy should bring her questioning to finality.
——and professionals within arts organisations, by which I mean——
That should be adequate Deputy. It is evident to the House that I am not going to be able to deal with the remaining questions if this continues.
——theatre managers, arts administrators and managers of art centres?
I acknowledge the Deputy's interest in this matter and would like to take this opportunity to thank those Deputies who have spoken about the arts, made positive proposals and expressed encouraging views in the House. While I do not intend to delay the House it is specifically stated in the Programme for Government, on page 56, that, in order to ensure the fullest development of our cultural life and to tap the potential that exists in abundance throughout Ireland, the Arts Council will be asked to operate on a co-ordinated three yearly plan for funding of the arts and that as part of that plan there will be a requirement for improved co-ordination between capital expenditure, which includes national lottery funding, and arrangements for the current funding of arts projects. I agree that there are areas where there is capital underprovision and that it is necessary to look at the areas where there is an absence of infrastructure. I can assure the Deputy that I had these considerations in mind in preparing proposals for the Department of Finance in relation to the future capital needs of the arts. On the issue of the Arts Council, when I heard it being described it sounded like a confraternity. While I would like to include everybody, I will appoint the best possible Arts Council. As I have said, the greater ratio will be observed and I will try to ensure that it is the most representative and effective that I can appoint.
Does the Minister accept that not alone do we need additional funding but the disparity of funding between the capital and the regions needs to be remedied in the context of the forthcoming appointments?
The issue of regional balance in the Arts includes the question of representation as well as other matters. As I strengthen the infrastructure of the Arts in the capital — later questions also deal with this — I will at the same time be filling the gaps that exist in the regions, for example in the Deputy's own city I am very anxious to see the further development of classical music because Cork has a fine tradition in that field. I will seek to achieve a regional balance not only on the question of representation but on capital allocation.
