Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to address the Members of the House on the topic of funding for the arts and I thank Senator Bannon for raising this important matter.

The funding allocated to the Arts Council in 2003 was €44.1 million, which represented a reduction of €3.568 million or about 7% on the Arts Council's provision in 2002. Naturally, it would have been better to avoid any reduction but the provision of €44.1 million to the Arts Council in 2003 must be put in context. The 2002 provision was the culmination of several years of unprecedented increases in funding for the arts. Between 1997 and 2002, funding for the Arts Council increased by about 80%. This increase in funding was a wonderful thing for the arts and allowed them to flower in a whole new way. However, there is no sector of our society that can expect increases such as these to be guaranteed, just as no sector of society can hope to be entirely isolated from the sometimes chill winds of economic cycles and the changing fortunes of Government finances.

The year 2003 was quite different from the years that preceded it. All sectors came under pressure this year and there was no way to avoid some reduction. The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, did not enjoy having to preside over the reduced funding – what Minister does – but he had no alternative at the end of the day. He is acutely aware of the difficulties that resulted for various sectors of the arts, including performing companies, as a consequence of reduced funding this year and although there was no way to avoid it, he regrets the problems that were faced by artists and arts organisations around the country. I appreciate what Senator Bannon says about the Backstage Theatre Company in Longford whose funding was reduced from €216,000 to €190,000. I appreciate this causes difficulties for the company. Everybody involved plays an important role and is difficulty to quantify in monetary terms the contribution made through voluntary time and effort.