Vol. 494 No. 3
245 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands if she has met with representatives from an organisation (details supplied); and the funds and plans, if any, which have been put in place to provide art services to people with disabilities. [18180/98]
I have received a request for a meeting from the organisation referred to by the Deputy. However as the proposed meeting related, in the main, to the possible funding of the organisation I have referred them to An Chomhairle Ealaíon which is the principal arts funding body and which enjoys statutory independence. The Deputy will be aware that one of my key priorities for the arts, as identified in the Government's programme An Action Plan for the Millennium, is support for disabled artists and I was pleased to announce on 15 June 1998 the appointment to An Chomhairle Ealaíon of a person with particular knowledge of the issues relating to arts and disability.
Arts and disability is one of the areas being specifically examined under the terms of reference of the review of the current arts plan which I have commissioned. Arts and disability organisations, as well as other arts groups, have been invited to participate in the review process by making submissions to the consultants who are carrying out the review on my behalf. It will also be of interest to the Deputy that the grant aid from my Department to the 39 arts facilities and venues, which are being developed throughout the country under the cultural development scheme, is conditional on each project being fully accessible to people with disabilities.
A statement of the policy of An Chomhairle Ealaíon in relation to Arts and Disability and its decision in relation to the funding of projects and organisations in this area are set out in the publication Arts Council Revenue Funding Decisions 1998, a copy of which I am sending to the Deputy.
