Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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665. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for amending, or revisiting the Arts Act 2003; if she will review its operation in consultation with the arts community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4850/15]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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666. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will examine the way the French, Danish or Scottish models in terms of the way they promote and foster the Arts in those countries, and specifically, the way they support individual artists'; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4851/15]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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667. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her Department's policy on supporting the arts in rural areas; her plans to improve this support and provide more resources to artists in rural areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4852/15]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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668. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on ways to improve the link between local authorities and the arts and provide local authorities more of a say in the development of national policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4853/15]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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671. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for reform of the arts sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4856/15]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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672. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on the role of the arts in the health service; if she will provide an update on the experience of same to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4857/15]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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674. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide a report on the role of the Arts Council; her views on the sustainability of same; the changes that have been made to the Arts Council since 2008; the reaction artists have had to any such changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4859/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 665 to 668, inclusive, and 671, 672 and 674 together.

My Department is committed to implementing the priorities set out in the Programme for Government and the Statement of Government Priorities 2014 – 2016, published by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste on 11 July 2014. This forms the underlying basis of the work of my Department for the remainder of this Government's term of office. 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.

Primary responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. The Arts Council is the main channel of State current expenditure on the arts and it will receive almost €59 million in 2015. Although the Council is funded by my Department, it is statutorily independent in its funding decisions as provided by the Arts Act 2003. I believe that the Arts Council serves the arts and this country well and the Council has my full confidence. I do not envisage any fundamental change in the institutional arrangements which encompass the arm's length approach of Arts Council distribution of Exchequer funding to the arts. Expertise on the arts resides in the Arts Council and it is therefore best placed to identify and fund excellence in the arts. I have, therefore, no plans to review the Arts Act.

I understand that the Arts Council is examining new, more informative and transparent ways of presenting information on the combined local authority and Arts Council funding of the arts. The Council’s revamped website gives details of all funding distributed to local authorities and to arts organisations in each local authority area.

In November 2014, I met with local authority arts officers to discuss their concerns and their ideas for the future. Following on from that, I am looking for ways which would improve communication and linkages between the arts officers and other stakeholder bodies.

I am also committed to ensuring the delivery of the country's first ever national cultural policy – Culture 2025- which will set out the high level aims and policies of the Government in the period up until 2025. I will shortly be initiating a wide-scale consultation process to ensure that all stakeholders and members of the public can make their views know.

Artsandhealth.ieis an independent, national arts and health website developed by the Waterford Healing Arts Trust and Create. The website providing a focal point and resource for the field of arts and health in Ireland via resource documents, project case studies, a directory of contacts, perspectives on a range of issues and current news.

The Deputy may be interested to know that following publication of Inspiring Prospects - Arts Council Strategic Reviewin June 2014, the Arts Council is now embarking on a process to develop a new strategy for the arts in 2015 which includes approaches around purposeful engagement with members of the public. Further details are available on the Arts Council website.