Vol. 562 No. 2
136 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the extent to which he and his Department will encourage bringing the arts to the people via theatres and cultural events or activities with a view to generating a greater degree of countrywide interest in the artistic tradition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5674/03]
Under the CDIS and ACCESS schemes, my Department has provided significant amounts of grant aid for capital developments around the country, including theatres, art centres, and museums. The new facilities provided as a result have greatly increased the accessibility of the arts for people all around the country, many of whom would have had great difficulty in accessing such facilities in the past.
The CDIS Scheme, which ran from 1994 to 1999, provided €26.4 million towards the development of 38 venues, while the ACCESS scheme, which runs from 2001 to 2004, is assisting another 44 venues with grant aid of €45.71 million.
Other Government funding for the development of the arts is, in the main, channelled through the Arts Council, which operates independently of Government on a day to day basis.
Question No. 137 answered with Question No. 113.
