Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Minister on the 1916 Rising commemorative programme. While I was critical of it initially, since the commencement of the second iteration of the programme launched at Collins Barracks, it has been very successful, with all of the money provided having been well spent.

On Friday we will be nine months through the year. With the budget due to be announced in less than a fortnight, the big issue is what will happen next year because things are not expected to change that much.

There are some interesting reflections in the programme for Government on the importance of the arts. A country that expends on the arts, cultural and heritage projects is more prosperous. More importantly, it leads to a much better quality of life. However, it is worth reflecting on the issue of prosperity. The more I read about the 1916 Rising and the lead-in to it, the cultural renaissance and so on, I can see that one of the most interesting comparisons concerns the economic performance in the 100 years since between the North and the South. Obviously, the South has outperformed the North, even though it remains in the bigger economic entity, the empire. On the reasons for this, my view is that it has nothing to do with military aspects and gun-fighting and so on but is related to the cultural renaissance, self-belief and everything culture in its widest sense brings, irrespective of whose it is and so on, which issue was the subject of much debate previously. I have a broad view of culture. All culture is to be treasured, although we have a special space in our hearts for the culture that is indigenous to any of the peoples on the island.

Having read the mid-year expenditure review, for me, the big issue is the proposal to reduce the budget of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for next year by €55 million. I would have thought that it would have held on to the same allocation as for 2016.

There are three big pressure points for the Department. We will come to the rural, regional, Gaeltacht and the islands elements, which I see as two points, but the other one takes in arts, culture and heritage. I would have thought it was very important that we would unanimously seek the €383 million funding for the Minister in the resource allocation for 2016 again for next year. Some things never change over on Merrion Street and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is proposing €327 million. That does not mean the €55 is unaffordable; if it can be afforded this year, it can be afforded next year. If we had the €55 million, we could fight about the split but if we do not get the money, we cannot fight about the split. We must put meat on the fine commitment in the programme for Government to the arts and heritage. It includes the arts and heritage councils, as well as the national institutions that add so much to our well-being as a people and which are very important in terms of tourism and so on.

We need a significant rise to where the funding used to be. I was looking at figures and the Arts Council is down something like €5 million in five years at a time when, to be honest, there is inflation. The Heritage Council has stated it cannot do anything to assist people with heritage properties and although we are putting restrictions on people, there is no money to help them preserve the properties, so some of them are going to rack and ruin. Our cultural institutions are flagship institutions. Basically, the big issue today is to consider what is happening to ensure the €383 million remains in the Department and that it can be spent next year, so the Ministers of State, Deputies Ring and Kyne, along with the Minister can have the resources implied in the programme for Government. Otherwise, we are moving the chairs on the Titanicand we will not be able to do anything radically different from last year. We will remain "as is".

I know the battle the Minister is facing. From my end and that of my party, we will give the Minister full support in the battle to retain what she had last year, no more and no less. If she had that, we would collectively honour the importance of these issues. As I said, we can consider 1916 and that matters of the mind often triumph over matters of the body. Cerebral issues, including culture, are so important to the human spirit. There are hard-nosed people; as Pearse wrote, the men in the counting houses, and the Minister needs to go them and say "but what if my dream comes true?". In the end, Pearse's dream triumphed over the men in the counting houses who knew the cost of everything and value of nothing. The Minister will certainly have my support in fighting Merrion Street to realise this is not a peripheral extra to government but rather goes to the core of who we are as a people. She will have my support in that regard.