Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for his reply. A recent Indecon report cited the ability of arts organisations to support employment, which is directly related to the overall income of such organisations. The report also said this has recently been impacted by the constraints in public finances and the collapse in consumer demand. The Minister is now saying that in the coming years we will see significant reductions in the arts budget. The Indecon report, the recent creative capital report and others all state that there is scope for the arts sector to create jobs. Despite a serious cutback in departmental investment in the arts sector, is the Minister satisfied we will still be able to realise the job creation we so badly need? Independent experts have signalled that the arts industry is due to grow, so should we not at least maintain our current level of expenditure for that sector?

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