Since 1988, funds from the national lottery have been allocated to my Department for the promotion of Irish cultural activities abroad. In 1995, the Exchequer supplemented the lottery allocation of £220,000 by £180,000, bringing the total allocation for cultural relations with other countries to £400,000. There is no difference between the activities funded under the G.1 (national lottery) and G.2 (Exchequer) subheads.
Grants are made under these headings by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the advice of the Cultural Relations Committee and go towards the promotion of Irish cultural and artistic events, lecture tours etc. abroad.