Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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588. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the projects which were allocated funding in 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013 under the scheme whereby 1% of all capital project funding is allocated to the arts and to specify the projects which had a music component. [45729/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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In 1997, a Government decision approved the inclusion in the budgets for all Exchequer-funded capital construction projects of up 1% as funding for an art project, subject to an overall cap of €64,000.

The current guidelines on the Per Cent for Art Scheme were drawn up in 2004 to set out how project managers are to operate the scheme and to provide a common national approach to its implementation. My Department has responsibility for the promotion of the Per Cent for Art Scheme but does not provide funding for it and it does not have a budget for it.

The scheme does not operate on the basis of there being a specific public art fund from which monies are drawn down to undertake or commission works of an artistic nature. Instead, under the terms of the scheme, such works are factored into, and funded from, the budgets of the capital projects in question by the relevant public body undertaking the project. It is a matter for each project promoter or commissioning body to maintain details of such expenditure.

The Per Cent for Arts Scheme guidelines assist with its implementation. The scheme is now well-known and embedded in all public infrastructure works. The public have become familiar with the works of art on our roads, but there are also art works resulting from the scheme in schools, hospitals and all buildings funded by the taxpayer. Public art is not confined to sculptures; it has also resulted in performances, new writings and compositions.

There is no doubt that the impact, particularly the visual impact, of this scheme has been overwhelmingly positive.