John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans to develop and encourage philanthropic support of the arts here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53017/12]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress that has been made to date in encouraging philanthropic initiatives for the arts; his plans to protect the arts in Budget 2013 in the event that he does not succeed in raising €10 million from the private sector; if his Department will meet the shortfall; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52969/12]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 49 together.

The Government's policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, to increase access to and participation in the arts, and to make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life. I am continuing to work towards this goal with my Department and the agencies within its remit, and I remain committed to securing the best possible level of public funding for the arts sector.

The Government appreciates the importance of the arts, culture and the creative industries to both our society and to our economy. I am fully aware of the challenges for those involved in the arts and culture sectors and of the tremendous work they are doing. I am committed to supporting the essential elements of the arts and culture sectors, within the available financial resources and in the light of the evolving budgetary and Estimates processes.

I was pleased to launch the Philanthropy Leverage Initiative in May 2012. This initiative, established with funding of €230,000 for 2012, is designed to encourage philanthropic sponsorship and endowment funding of the arts from private sources. The scheme aims to promote support for the arts from private sources and to unlock 2 to 5 times the funding put up by the taxpayer. The Philanthropy Leverage Initiative has provided an incentive to arts organisations to proactively seek new and multi-annual relationships with sponsors which deliver private sector financial support, thereby increasing overall funding available to the arts. Applications for the initiative were made across projects of varying scale, geography and art forms. The Leverage Initiative will run in parallel with a second initiative – the Philanthropy Capacity Building Initiative – which is operated by the Arts Council.

A conference on Philanthropy and the Arts, which I hosted recently at Smock Alley Theatre, was a huge success and I will follow up on that initiative again next year.