Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

9. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to increase the existing funding to the arts, given that the European average for arts funding is 0.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19895/16]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Many statistics have been produced in this session so far. Let us focus on the most important statistic, namely, the average European spend on arts funding of 0.6% of gross domestic product, GDP. The equivalent Irish figure is 0.1%. That is one sixth of the European average. What steps does the Minister intend to take to bridge this shameful gap?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The programme for a partnership Government contains a very important commitment to work progressively to increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve. I assure the Deputy that I will be engaging with my colleagues in Government and with the Oireachtas to seek to advance this commitment in the context of the forthcoming Estimates and budgetary processes.

I understand that the figures quoted by the Deputy are from a Council of Europe project called "Compendium: Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe". I understand that many European countries are not included in the figures, including ten EU member states. The data for the compendium project are provided by independent researchers and it is not a standardised system for the collection of statistics.

I further understand that the compendium project itself warns that data provided by the researchers are not comparable across countries because each researcher includes different elements in the definition of culture and these elements are reflected in the figures for public expenditure. For example, local authority expenditure on the arts, artists, exemption tax relief, expenditure on public service broadcasting and the Irish language are all examples of elements not included in the Council of Europe figures for Ireland but included in the figures for some other countries.

Expenditure on the arts in Ireland comes from multiple sources, both public and private. I understand that the CSO does not produce national statistics that capture the totality of this expenditure as a percentage of GDP. The issue of a definition of culture and of capturing public expenditure on culture is one that was discussed in the public consultation process held for the purpose of developing Ireland's first national cultural policy framework, Culture 2025.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister does not accept the figures that I have quoted so I ask her to produce her own figures. What are the Minister's figures? Does she calculate that our 0.1% of GDP might be greater than the European average? Does she calculate that our shameful figure of 0.1% might be equal to or the same as the European average, or does she calculate that it is very close? If it is not equal, what is the Irish figure compared with the European average? Is it a half or a third? I say it is a sixth of the European average. What is the Minister's figure? I would like to know.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

What I can confirm to the Deputy is that almost 50% of my entire budget in arts, heritage, regional, rural and Gaeltacht affairs is for the arts. As I said in my reply, the programme for a partnership Government commits to increasing funding for the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy improves. This is the most effective way to provide support for artists and other creative workers. Ireland has a reputation for being supportive of artists through the provision of the tax exemption for artists. I was pleased that the previous Government introduced a 25% increase in the artists' tax exemption in 2015. This important measure recognises the invaluable contribution which arts and culture practitioners make here at home and abroad. The feedback available to me indicates that artists very much welcomed the increase in the exemption limits. The Arts Council provides income supports for members of Aosdána who require it in order to allow them to work on their artistic output. In addition, my Department, through Culture Ireland, plays a major part in promoting Irish arts and music on the world stage.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I take it from the Minister's reply that she is unable to produce the figure that I have asked for. I will move on and look at the issue of words rather than figures. I quote the Minister the following words: "There is anger, disquiet and disbelief about the effective dilution of the arts as a Cabinet portfolio." That is taken from a motion which was unanimously passed in this House just a couple of weeks ago. Given that anger, disquiet and disbelief, can the Minister, instead of talking about what is planned in a programme for Government over the next five years, give us an indication as to what increase she intends to deliver for arts funding in this year's budget? The National Campaign for the Arts is looking for a trebling of funding to 0.3%. Is the Minister going to deliver that trebling? If not, will it be a doubling or what?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have met the National Campaign for the Arts. We had a very positive meeting and I look forward to working with them. I recently met the Arts Council and had another positive meeting there. Everybody who comes into my Department is looking for increases in budgets. I would like to give everybody the increase they want. However, that is a matter that I will be pursuing in the budgetary and Estimates process for 2017 and I will be seeking the support of my Oireachtas colleagues in that process. In terms of the figure that is spent on the arts, as I said, I cannot give the Deputy the exact figure. What I can tell him is that the figure that was produced by the compendium project is incorrect because it does not include all of the money that is spent on the arts in this country. It is in the Culture 2025 policy that we need to look at how we measure the investment that we put into our arts sector. That is something I will be pursuing.