Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Chairman will be aware, the Arts Council is independent in its funding decisions. I have been accused of interfering, which I have never done. I will not interfere in the independence of the Arts Council in allocating arts funding. It receives and assesses the applications and it makes the decisions. I have no input into that process. I understand there are a number of conditions applicable to financial assistance provided by the council. These conditions include a requirement that recipients comply with all laws applicable to the body in question, including statutory obligations under employment law, statutes, regulations and Revenue requirements. In addition, recipients must avoid any form of discriminatory practice and have regard to the need to promote equal opportunities in all areas of work in compliance with the provisions of the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2001. I will not apply conditions to Arts Council funding. Following on from discussions which I have had with the Arts Council I know that it is very cognisant of these requirements and that it will again highlight to the organisations to which they provide funding the need to comply with these laws. The organisations that receive funding have responsibilities under the law. They are clear on their responsibilities in this regard.