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

Labour Party was in government and was a party to the cuts in public expenditure, although the party dishonestly campaigned against austerity before the election. The Government's focus is on increasing funding for the arts and we have been doing that. This is evidenced by the Taoiseach's repeated commitment to doubling funding over a ten-year period. As I said, there is a 13% increase in funding for my Department in this year's Estimates. There is a €6.8 million increase in funding for the Arts Council of Ireland - an increase of 10% - which the National Campaign for the Arts welcomed.

Capital funding of €1.2 billion was announced, as part of the national development plan, for culture, heritage and the Gaeltacht over the ten years to 2028. It includes a €460 million investment programme in our national cultural institutions and a €200 million audiovisual action plan which I launched last summer. The Government will continue to consider measures to deliver further on its commitments. It will balance supports, however, to ensure they are felt across the sector. I am pleased that we, in Fine Gael, are doing everything we can to support artists with the resources available.

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