Vol. 457 No. 6
71 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht the moneys available to the National Gallery for new acquisitions in 1995; the comparative figures for the years 1993 and 1994; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15836/95]
The National Gallery of Ireland receives an annual grant-in-aid from Vote 43 for, among other things, the purchase and repair of pictures, funded from the national lottery. In 1993 the gallery received the sum of £100,000 for this purpose; in 1994 the sum of £150,000; and in 1995 the sum of £200,000. The other fund available to the gallery specifically for the purchase of pictures is the lane fund. The total value of the lane fund including a retained capital sum of £34,000 in 1993 was £97,300; in 1994: £102,330; in 1995: £127,610. The Shaw fund is available for such purposes as the gallery board considers appropriate to advance the gallery's interest and could be used for acquisitions but has not been used for this purpose in recent years.
