Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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41. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 17 May 2016, if she has had any discussions with the Minister for Social Protection as regards establishing a specific payment for artists and musicians starting out in their careers; if there are any interdepartmental initiatives in place or planned to ensure support for persons in this position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31016/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I have had discussions with the Minister for Social Protection in relation to the recognition of artists within the social protection system. Officials from both our Departments have been tasked with investigating the issue and will report back in due course.

In relation to other supports, it should be noted that in Budget 2017 I secured a series of funding increases across the arts and cultural bodies under my remit. These include

- an extra €5m for the Arts Council - an 8% increase;

- €2m extra for the Film Board;

- an extra €1m for Culture Ireland;

- a significant additional allocation of €3.5m for the national cultural institutions; and

- a new funding stream of €5m for the implementation of a Culture 2025/Ireland 2016 Legacy Programme, details of which I will be announcing shortly.

All of this represents real and substantial funding increases across the arts and cultural area and has been welcomed across the sector. It also re-affirms the commitment of this Government to progressively increase funding for the arts as the economy improves, as set out in the Programme for a Partnership Government. These increases will have a positive and distinct impact on arts and cultural provision around the country, especially for artists and other creative workers.

The Arts Council, of course, is the main mechanism through which the Government directs funding to the arts and to artists and the 8% increase in its annual budget will allow the Council to enhance support to artists and arts organisations around the country on both a small and large scale, from locally based groups to the Abbey Theatre.