Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is a bit of good news. I hope the document and the policy will address the obvious disconnect that exists between national and local policy. The Minister has clearly engaged the local authorities and their arts officers who are doing a fine job, but from the funding streams coming down the line, we see that the Arts Council has, in a number of regional and local venues and initiatives, reduced funding as it is of the view that local authorities should be putting up the money. There is a disconnect. Will the policy the Minister is bringing forward address that or do we need to wait for the publication of Culture 2025 to see the obvious difficulty being addressed? It is a difficulty that needs to be addressed urgently.

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