Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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1060. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will investigate the circumstances in which the Waterford Imagine Arts Festival had all of its Arts Council funding cut, without any prior warning, despite it receiving funding for the past 13 years; the reason for the cut; if she will commit to helping to reinstate the funding, which was less that €11,000 annually, particularly in the context of the negative impact the cut will have among the community arts sector locally in County Waterford; if the Waterford Imagine Arts Festival team will be allowed to appeal the decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20568/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Arts Council operates under the provisions of the Arts Act 2003, which provides, inter alia, that the Council is independent in the performance of its functions in funding the Arts. As Minister, I am precluded by law from interfering with or reviewing any decisions of the Council in relation to funding.

It may be noted that the Arts Council operates an appeals and complaints procedure, and, like other agencies under the aegis of my Department, is subject to the Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012.