Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I thank the Minister for his reply. I have talked to people in the arts, sport and tourism sectors who feel that the wool has been pulled over their eyes. They were expecting such bad news. This is true of the budget in general, and it is the feedback on it. When they hear, for example, that the Arts Council is only to have a 13% cut for the entire year, they believe this is not so bad. I do not agree with that.

How much will the Kennedy homestead memorial project cost, for example, and when is construction expected to begin? Is it a matter for the OPW or the Departments of Arts, Sport and Tourism? Where will the funding come from to man these capital projects because while the tourism percentage is up by 2%, virtually everything else is decreased in this regard apart from the capital budget. That means many more buildings will appear, including the Kennedy homestead development, so where is the current funding to come from to support those projects?

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