Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I wanted to ask about the overall funding for arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht. The Minister said that an additional €6.2 million in funding had been carried over from the 2014 capital provision. I wanted to check that this was for capital funding. What projects is this funding for? Is it just for existing projects or is there something new? From 2008 to 2015, the budgets of the national cultural institutions and the Arts Council were cut by between 40% to 50%. Although there are some very minor increases, they go nowhere near replacing those huge cuts in funding. All of the cultural institutions have contacted Deputies and publicised the fact that some of their services are at breaking point. I wanted to clarify whether those institutions were safe for this year.

The budget of the Department has increased for the first time by a small amount, but nearly all of that increase has been in the form of capital expenditure on projects that have already been announced, such as the renovation of the National Gallery of Ireland. It has been said previously in this committee, so I will not labour the point, but much of the increase - €4 million - is for the commemoration of the 1916 Rising.

From research I carried out previously, I know there is a real trend in jobs in the arts in the direction of part-time and poorly paid work and the use of free labour.

This has been highlighted a number of journals. To give the Minister some examples, an article in The Visual Artists' News Sheetstated that unpaid internships are becoming more common for a new generation of young arts workers, and that they prop up the sector. An article in Irish Journal of Arts Management and Cultural Policystated that the reality is that the replacement and displacement of paid jobs by interns does happen. Will there be any change in that trend now that we are meant to be in so-called recovery and the budgets are increasing? There is not much point in having increased budgets if people do not benefit and are not able to remain working in the arts sector on a living wage.

The National Library of Ireland has been highlighting this issue. Last October it said it would need €1.25 million in this year's budget just to keep existing services in operation. That was reported in The Irish Timeson 15 October. I may be mistaken, but the figure on page 25 of the Estimate is €600,000. Is that correct? That is half of what it asked for. Page 25 also shows the figures for output performance. It is not as if these institutions can cut back on the number of people who want to come in and avail of the services. The number of visitors in 2013 increased by 79,000, or 43%, on the previous year, so it would seem that the staff in the National Library are dealing with more people but the budget is being cut throughout the years. Will the National Library and other such institutions be able to provide the services? The figure for the National Archives is listed on page 9, but it is stationary; there is no increase. Is it the case that it is charging people for its services and is therefore able to maintain those services? That is not a positive direction for the arts and heritage sector.

On the centenary commemorations, we are all delighted that these will happen, but many people in the arts are not happy that almost the entire increase in the arts budget is for the commemoration of 1916 when people at the coalface are not able to heat their studios or maintain the practice of their craft. Will the Minister comment on that?