Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious of the fact the meeting is under time pressure and I understand we need to complete the business by 5 p.m. I would not be so ambitious as to think we would be able to go through the entirety of the subheads between now and 5 p.m. Perhaps all the time will allow is a few general questions.

I want to welcome the inclusion of the additional €2 million for the cultural institutions and I commend the Minister on what she has done in that regard. We were all concerned that the financial pressure on the cultural institutions was going to lead to a juncture at which they might have to introduce charges. As nobody wanted to see that happening, this is positive.

The overall spending on the arts has seen a slight increase, which I welcome, and I welcome what we are spending across the whole spectrum. Can the Minister give us absolute assurances in terms of the disbursement of these funds and in light of the transparency that exists, both in respect of her own Department and in respect of the Arts Council and how it transacts its business?

The country is doing well in the area of film and some impressive initiatives have been taken. The Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, will be conscious of what is being done in Donegal where an initiative has been established with the local authority to promote Donegal as a destination for film production. A significant amount of funding is being made available to the film sector. Can the taxpayer expect to see a return other than the aesthetic benefit we get from the production of high quality television and film entertainment? Obviously, there are benefits that accrue to the country on a tourism front and further benefits that may accrue in terms of attracting international investment in the sector.

In the area of natural heritage, there has been a dramatic cut in funding from €14 million down to €9 million. I am concerned as to how that might impact on the National Parks and Wildlife Service. To a great extent it is the unsung hero of the public service. It works out of the public eye but does very valuable work on our behalf.

In terms of the built heritage, I am aware of the difficulties around the whole Moore Street project and I am supportive of what the Minister has attempted to do, but what is the present position with regard to Moore Street and does the Minister have any ambition to take the project forward?

I note that €43 million is being made available for the Irish language and the Gaeltacht and islands, as well as more than €38 million for North-South co-operation, including support for two North-South implementation bodies, one of which is An Foras Teanga. Out of that €81 million of expenditure what amount is being spent on language support and language promotion? Is is possible to extrapolate that information from the figures provided?