Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have no wish to comment on my former constituency colleague's writings. Whatever about the tax exemption, artistic endeavours have traditionally never been paid well. This is something that we have been trying to address in government. I note what Deputy Wallace has said about the tax exemptions. We are trying to counteract that and the Arts Council is giving more money towards bursaries. The council had bursaries of €19,000 to help grassroots people, for example, people who want to write a book or paint a painting. These bursaries are really important to try to help people and encourage them to develop. I will also be doing Markievicz bursaries in my Department. These are designed to fund and supporting female artists.

The Taoiseach has put on record a public commitment to double spending on arts and culture by 2025. Budget 2019 is a notable milestone along this journey. We put a significant amount into this - such investment has not been available for many years – and we will continue to do so.

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