Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I honestly believed that the Minister was answering a different question at the start. While it is heartening that he is confident that the money will go a long way, he is probably the only person in that category. He is missing the essential point, namely, that the trajectory of funding for the arts has been spiralling downwards in recent years. This year, it reached a critical point that even the one-off lottery allocation will in no way help. For the providers of the arts, many jobs are being jeopardised and many projects are on a knife's edge.

Last year's cut of 7% on top of the cuts of previous six years was a cut too far. For example, Culture Ireland has seen a 21% cut in its funding. Organisations such as it promote Ireland abroad. They herald and trumpet our great artistic achievements, but they cannot do so if the Government takes money out of their projects. Many projects are in jeopardy. If their budgets are cut, they cannot keep doing the job that they are supposed to do. I wonder how the Minister will square that circle.

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