Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the Arts Act 2003, primary responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council, which is the main channel of State current expenditure on the arts. The mandate of the Arts Council includes traditional music. The strategic context for the Arts Council’s support of artforms and arts practice, including all forms of music, is set out in its Strategy Statement Making Great Art Work. This sets out the Council’s plans to lead the development of the arts in the decade to 2025.

I was pleased to secure significant additional funding for the Arts Council as part of Budget 2017. This will see an increase in the Arts Council allocation of €5m, or 8%, and will allow the Council to enhance support to artists and arts organisations.

It should be noted that there are currently 6 vacancies on the Arts Council. The process for selecting the new members of the Arts Council, in line with that for all State Board appointments, is being managed by the Public Appointments Service.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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111. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on a recent claim that the Arts Council has displayed a remarkable indifference to opera's long-term development. [32449/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Arts Council is the primary State agency for funding the arts, and in this regard, I was pleased to secure significant additional funding for it as part of Budget 2017. This will see an increase in the Arts Council allocation of €5m, or 8%, and will allow the Council to enhance support to artists and arts organisations.

The strategic context for the Arts Council’s support of all artforms and arts practice, including opera, is set out in its Strategy Statement Making Great Art Work. This sets out the Council’s plans to lead the development of the arts in the decade to 2025. The Arts Council has also published its policy on opera, which is available at

I understand that the Council’s approach is rooted in supporting and enabling opera artists and practitioners to connect with the public, and that it intends to deliver on this policy by supporting indigenous production and presentation of opera and by direct support of individual opera artists and practitioners. The Arts Council is, of course, statutorily independent in relation to the performance of its functions regarding funding of the arts.