Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

After his election earlier this year, the Taoiseach made a commitment to double funding for the arts and culture over the coming years. It was an imitation of a pledge made by his good friend, Justin Trudeau. It created great hope and expectation across the arts community. Unlike his Canadian friend, the Taoiseach did not follow through on what he had said with a serious commitment in the budget. The chair of the Arts Council has described next year's allocation to the arts as a "huge disappointment". If the rate of increase set out in the budget is continued with, it will take another 21 years to achieve the Taoiseach's commitment to the arts. There is great uncertainty among the arts community at the moment. The National Campaign for the Arts has expressed concern about the focus in the Creative Ireland programme on publicity and marketing rather than long-term and sustainable policy change and investment.

Last year, the then Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs published a draft national cultural framework policy, known as Culture 2025. It horrified campaigners in the arts. After much pressure in this House - I raised the matter on Leaders' Questions - the then Taoiseach agreed to refer the framework policy to an Oireachtas committee before it was finalised. When the committee published its report in July of this year, it included 42 recommendations aimed at bringing about a shift in the Government's approach to arts and culture. As the all-party committee noted, "A policy without a clear definition of its objective is blind, a policy without legislation is discretionary and a policy without the necessary resources .... is paralysed." It is unclear whether the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, intends to pay any attention to the committee's report or to plough ahead with the initial framework she published last year.

We have no clear definition of objectives and no underpinning legislation and I see none is planned in the legislative programme. We have no commitment to provide the required funding for its implementation. Does the Minister accept that the paltry increase in funding for the Arts Council was already committed to and that, therefore, in real terms, it is not additional money? Will he give a renewed commitment to double the funding for the sector over a five-year period? Will he give us a sense of when we can expect to receive a final version of Culture 2025 and indicate whether the recommendations of the committee in that regard will be heeded?

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