Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the best of times, artists and the artistic community have a precarious, uncertain existence. Art, music and literature have given us all a lift in these uncertain times. The arts have lifted our collective spirits. One initiative that I have seen that has given me and everybody a lift has been the art painted by children. It is placed in windows, whether in Portobello or Pearse Street. The current crisis is an especially worrying time for artists and their dependents. We have never needed the arts more than we do now. The level of funding to assist artists announced recently is extremely disappointing and I urge a significant increase in funds for the arts community. One initiative I have seen develop is the artist support pledge. When an artist sells a piece of work for €200 or less, and then reach €1,000 in sales, that artist will commit to buying another artist's work for €200. I think this is a win-win for everybody and it will certainly encourage new artists to come forward. Will the Minister and the Department consider supporting and promoting this artist-led initiative?

I am also interested in hearing the Minister's view on the current state of Project Ireland 2040, in particular the capital investment in culture, language and heritage. The Minister will be aware that these investments are outlined in the document, Investing in Our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018-2027. Many of the national cultural institutions are in historical buildings and they also happen to be in my constituency of Dublin Bay South. We have the National Gallery, National Archives, National Concert Hall and, in Kildare Street, we have the National Library and National Museum. Will the earmarked capital investment of €460 million in the national cultural institutions go ahead as planned? What is the Minister's current expectation regarding these projects and a timeline for them? Will she consider bringing forward the €460 million investment to act as a stimulus for economic recovery? Will the Minister guarantee that any capital investment in culture, language and heritage will be climate-proofed?

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