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

I do not believe Fianna Fáil is in a position to lecture this Government on the funding of the arts or artists' pay and conditions. As we know, Fianna Fáil, when in government between 2007 and 2011, cut funding for the arts by €67 million. The majority of the funding available was for the Arts Council, which the Deputy has mentioned before. There was a decrease from €206 million to €139 million, which is a funding cut of 33%. In budget 2019, Fine Gael saw funding rise by 37% since the time of the cuts in 2011. This is a rise to a sustainable level. Fianna Fáil, when in government between 2007 and 2011, cut the budget to an unsustainable level. I have outlined a commitment the Taoiseach has given to double funding in this area by 2025. We are doing a considerable amount to achieve that.

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