Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Some exemplary officeholders have contributed. A number of things are important and I ask the Taoiseach and the relevant Minister, who is sitting beside him, to consider a number of things. First is the multi-annual funding of the arts, which we provide for some of the major art organisations like the Gate or the Abbey. It is impossible for significant organisations to plan without a commitment to a three-year horizon at least. Multi-annual budgeting is something I tried to introduce myself across Departments. For arts bodies to plan or hire artists, it is necessary to think about a timeframe well beyond 12 months. It is something we might do. One of the things we sought to do in this year's budget was to ensure that the significant boost in the capital spend for the 1916 centenary commemorations would be embedded as a capital spend in the arts. Unfortunately, it was not done. While some residual funding was embedded, not all was provided. These are a few of the issues a Cabinet sub-committee, which I hope will find time to debate the arts, should address.

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